


Pokemon: Syndicate

by Sikahdik



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Black & White | Pokemon Black and White Versions
Genre: Alternate Unova, Crime, Drama, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-15
Updated: 2020-01-27
Packaged: 2020-05-12 06:13:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 6
Words: 21,847
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19223272
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sikahdik/pseuds/Sikahdik
Summary: Hilbert hated where he and his sister lived. He hated how they lived. He hated why they lived where and how they did. He hated feeling as though none of it would change. When an opportunity arises, he grabs it by the horns. He knows it will change their lives, for better or for worse.





	1. The Start

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted to fanfiction.net, also a rewrite of another story of the same name.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The start of it all.

Sirens filled Hilbert's neighborhood. Every day there seemed to be something illegal going on, never a quiet night. Not that Hilbert complained much anyway. He was used to it. Used to how bad of a place he lived. He was used to living without any hope for anything to change. It had been years since he last felt things would get better for him and his sister Hilda. Over time, he became numb to the crime. He saw it as something that would never go away.

He was currently walking to the fast-food place he and his sister favorited, Bouffalant's, to get them something to eat for the night. Walking up to the entrance, Hilbert saw a man in a lab coat holding a metal briefcase and talking on his phone. Curious, Hilbert walked closer. Upon seeing Hilbert, the man put his phone down and spoke to him.

"Excuse me, kid?"

"Hm?"

"Sorry for inconveniencing you, but can you please hold my briefcase for me?" said the man.

"Why?"

"I have to go to the bathroom. It'd be awkward for me if the guy I'm supposed to meet with shows up when I'm not here. But he might think you're with me if he sees you with the briefcase."

"Uh, sure, I guess. What do I do if the guy comes, though?"

"Tell him that I'm in the bathroom and that I'll be out in a minute," the man said as he hurried inside the restaurant and hastily pushed through the door labeled  _MEN_.

Without wasting any time, Hilbert sat down below the window. After looking around to see if any eyes were on him, Hilbert opened the briefcase to see what was inside. Shockingly, the case was filled mostly with stacks of money. Hilbert guessed each stack must've been around ten thousand, and the case was almost full with them. The upper lid had foam lacing it, which housed a few slots cut into it, and each slot held something different. In the slots were two pokeballs, a purple spray, and some rectangular device.

Hilbert contemplated running off with the case. The man wouldn't see, so he could probably get away with it. With that money, he and his sister could likely leave that place. They would never have to come back to their neighborhood. It could better their lives.

But then, Hilbert thought that it might cause problems for them. Like the man could find them and possibly turn them in to the police, or do something worse. Not to mention, it's not like he's stealing a few bucks, or something insignificant. He didn't want to put him or his sister in danger.

Worried that the man might catch him looking through the briefcase, Hilbert made his decision. A minute later, the man in the lab coat came back out. He noticed Hilbert was sitting next to the unopened briefcase.

"So, he didn't show up?"

"No."

"Well, thanks for watching the case anyway, kid," the man said as he picked up the case.

"I'm assuming that's all you need, so I'm gonna go home."

"Oh wait, let me give you something, to say thanks."

The man began to undo the latches on the lid for the case.

"No, that's okay. All I did was watch it for a minute or two. Wasn't like I did anything important."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I should be heading home anyway."

"Alright, thanks again."

"Mhm."

The man watched Hilbert walk off and thought to himself,  _'What a nice kid.'_

A few minutes of walking later, Hilbert arrived at his house. Upon entering, he saw his sister sitting on the couch. She was brushing her long brown hair and watching TV.

"About time," she said. "You took so long. Wait, where's the food?"

"I got held up and wasn't able to get any," said Hilbert. "But look what I got instead!"

Sitting down on the other side of the couch, Hilbert placed the spray, pokeballs, and device in between him and Hilda. Hilda's interest peaked, making her forget about the lack of food her brother failed to bring home.

"Woah! Where'd you get this stuff?" Hilda asked as she picked up a ball.

"Some guy told me to watch his briefcase for him so he could go to the bathroom. But these aren't even the best parts," said Hilbert as he stood up. Grabbing the bottom of his shirt, he lifted it halfway up his torso, revealing two stacks of money that he took.

"Oh my gosh, how much is that?"

"Twenty thousand, I think. Haven't had time to count it."

Hilda, not believing Hilbert, grabbed one of the stacks from her brother's waistband and started flipping through it, quickly counting each bill and adding the total in her head. With each hundred dollar bill she flipped past, Hilda slowed down. After she finished counting, Hilda began to mildly shake as she stared at the stack in her hands.

"Hilda? What is it?"

"I'm holding...ten thousand...you stole twenty thousand dollars from someone!?" Hilda said as she started hitting her brother on the shoulder.

"Ow! Stop it!"

"Are you an idiot!?"

"What? Not like stealing's new to us."

"Yeah, but we always stole small things, stuff that doesn't matter! Not twenty thousand dollars!" Hilda shouted as she continued to hit Hilbert.

"Ah, would you stop hitting me?!"

"Oh, we are so dead!"

"Relax, alright? Not like they know where we live."

"But what if they find us? Someone could've followed you!"

"I said, relax. We'll be fine."

Hilda sat back down on the couch, placing her hands on her head. Letting out a sigh, she turned to her brother.

"Hilbert, you stole a lot of money. Too much if you ask me."

"Yeah, I know, but think about how much better things could be with this money. We can try and live somewhere else for a while, instead of this shitty place."

"That sounds good and all. But we don't know anywhere that we could live off of twenty thousand, even though it does seem like a lot of money. The money would run out eventually. Then, we would have to find another way to get cash."

"You're right, but we can still do some things with the money to try and make our lives a little better."

"Do you think it's a good idea to spend the money? I mean, what if whoever you stole the money from tries to find whoever took it. They'll eventually find you."

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it. Let's try to be happy for now, alright? We just got twenty thousand dollars! Plus," Hilbert said as he gestured to the other items.

"What do you plan on doing with the rest of this stuff?"

"I'm not sure, all I know is that those are pokeballs and that I don't know what the other two things are."

"You think there could be pokemon in these pokeballs?" Hilda asked as she picked up a ball and looked it over.

"We could just find out," Hilbert picked up the other Pokeball. "I think we just press that button and toss it up into the air and, if a pokemon is inside, it will come out."

"Shouldn't we go outside for this?"

"Eh, I doubt they'll be anything too big. It'll be fine, probably."

"I guess. Alright, on three. One...two...three!"

Once Hilda finished counting, the twins pressed the buttons on their respective pokeballs and tossed them into the air. Hilda's ball opened and fell to the ground with a thud, empty. However, Hilbert's ball shot out a red beam of light towards the ground. The light beam formed the shape of something four-legged. The light turned from red to white, then from white to become the pokemon which the Pokeball housed.

Stand in front of the two was a mostly black, quadruped, canine-like pokemon, with red on its muzzle and stomach. Each of its ankles had a white band going around it. There were three bands on its back as well. It also had what looked the top of a skull on its head.

Hilbert and Hilda stared at the pokemon. While they didn't know that many pokemon of Unova, this one still seemed to be foreign.

The pokemon stared at the twins, just as they stared at it. Neither side was sure of what to do. After a minute of staring, the device which was left sitting on the couch began to beep. Hilbert went to grab it as Hilda stayed staring at the pokemon, who was now sitting down. Upon inspecting the device, the small screen read a message.

_"New Pokemon Species Detected. Please press the button and point the Pokedex towards the new pokemon."_

Confused, Hilbert pressed the circular button on the front side of the device, causing a second screen to slide up from behind the front. Hilbert then turned the Pokedex around and pointed it at the pokemon.

_"Houndour: The dark pokemon. It is smart enough to hunt in packs. It uses a variety of cries to communicate with others. This houndour is male and is currently level five."_

"Houndour?" said Hilbert.

"Hound," the pokemon cried as if to say  _correct_.

"So, that's a Pokedex? Looks a lot like a phone," said Hilda.

"That's what I thought, too," said Hilbert. "Hm, so you're a houndour?"

"Hound!" Houndour barked as it looked around the room.

He began to walk around sniffing different things and looking at everything with a tilted head. Putting two and two together, Hilda figured that Houndour was probably unused to such a setting. She suggested to Hilbert about letting Houndour go outside. He agreed, and the two lead Houndour into the front yard.

Upon first touching the grass with his paw, Houndour stepped back. The touch seemed foreign to him. After a few more steps, Houndour realized he liked the feeling of the grass and began to roll around in the yard. After a few minutes, Houndour stopped and turned to Hilda and Hilbert. The twins were smiling from watching Houndour.

Houndour stood up and stretched his body then he walked towards the house. Hilda and Hilbert stepped aside, letting him walk in. Once inside, Houndour jumped onto the couch and began to sleep.

"Aw, he's like a baby!" Hilda whispered.

"And he's all mine," Hilbert said with a grin.

"What? How come he gets to be yours?"

"Because he came out of the ball that I opened," said Hilbert. "If he had come out of the ball you opened, then he would've been yours. But, he didn't so."

Hilbert stuck his tongue out at his sister, who then hit him on the shoulder. Hilda looked at Houndour, the smile she previously had on her face disappeared.

"Oh, relax. We can try and get you a pokemon," said Hilbert. He had noticed his sister's expression change. "We still have that empty ball."

"Alright, but now I have to wait."

"I guess we can go tomorrow. There are some woods a short walk from here that probably has weak pokemon."

Hilbert took a seat on the couch next to Houndour, and Hilda sat on the opposite side of him. The TV had been on this whole time, playing some show about the region's police. The episode was of a UPD raid on some gang's hideout. After some time of watching, Hilda let out a yawn.

"I'm going to bed," she said. "You going too or staying out here?"

After not getting an immediate response, Hilda turned to her brother and saw he was deeply focused on the show.

"Hilbert?"

"Huh?"

"I said, I'm going to bed."

"Oh, yeah. I'll go to sleep soon."

"Alright, well, goodnight."

"Goodnight."

With that, Hilda left the Hilbert alone with Houndour. After the episode ended, Hilbert turned the TV off and headed to bed with Houndour following him. Laying in bed, unable to sleep, Hilbert began to think of what he could do with all the money he stole, and now that they had a pokemon companion. His head went crazy with ideas.

* * *

**And that concludes the first chapter of my rewrite. If anyone is curious why I did a rewrite, it's because I didn't feel as though the original story was going the way I wanted.**

**Let me know what you think with a comment and bookmark if you like it.**

**Anyway, peace.**

**~~~Sikahdik.**


	2. First

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A first for Hilbert.

Hilda sat on her bed, with her head between her knees and her arms gripping herself tightly. Outside her room, she can hear shouting between her brother and parents. Some glass got smashed and the shouting got louder. She couldn't help but feel as though it was her fault, that she caused Hilbert to get yelled at by her parents right now. She just wanted the yelling to stop, for Hilbert to not have to try and defend her. Suddenly, everything went quiet and she could hear footsteps getting louder and louder.

"Why are you going to our room!?" she could hear her brother shout from outside.

"You keep saying you did it but I don't believe you. So, let's see if your sister has anything to say about that shall we?"

"I already said, she had nothing to do with it, so leave her out of this!"

She then heard some muffled noise from right outside the door. Suddenly, a loud thud, then the door swung opened.

Hilda sat up in her bed, her pillow drenched in sweat. Her chest rose and fell quickly. She looked around the room. Seeing her brother lay in a bed just a few feet from her, instantly made her calm down and feel relieved. She looked down at the floor, seeing Houndour, and remembering the events of the previous day. Laying her head back down onto the pillow, she let out a sigh and smiled. Hilbert had a pokemon now and soon she'll have one as well. She won't have to be defenseless anymore.

Hilbert jolted awake to sudden pain. Sitting up and grabbing his stomach, he looked at the cause of his current suffering. Sitting in front of him was Houndour, his new pokemon. Houndour looked at his owner confused, wondering why he was grabbing himself. He then walked up to Hilbert's face and gave him a lick. After stepping back, Houndour started breathing with his mouth opened, giving the impression he was smiling. Hilbert then heard a chuckle come from his left. Turning his head, he saw his twin smiling at him.

"He seems to be pretty jolly, doesn't he?"

"Yeah, wish he didn't jump on me though," Hilbert said still holding his stomach.

"If it makes you feel any better he did the same to me. But, I kept saying 'no no, go to Hilbert' while pointing to you, so he left me alone."

"Well, thanks for that."

"Your welcome."

Once the pain from Houndour jumping onto him went away, Hilbert swung his legs out to the side of his bed, sitting up and letting out a yawn. Hilda began brushing her long hair and Hilbert stood up to go to the kitchen, Houndour jumping off the bed to follow him. When in the kitchen, Houndour sat next to his owner, staring up at his face. At first Hilbert felt awkward with his pokemon just watching him, however, he quickly turned to like his presence. After a little while, Hilda came out of the room with her normal clothes on.

"So, what do you want to do with all the money we got now? We can't just leave it hanging around here. If someone robbed us and found that kind of money they'll likely just come back."

"Yeah I know, but I'm not sure what to do with it yet. Only thing I thought of so far was to just lay low with it. Whenever we go somewhere we only take some of it and hide the rest. Since we have Houndour, we can probably find you a pokemon as well. "

"Then what?"

"Well, that's all I got so far."

"Seriously? Who steals twenty thousand dollars and not have a plan on what to do with it?" Hilda asks, annoyed.

"Hey don't blame me, it was a spur of the moment kind of thing," Hilbert says defensively.

"You're an idiot sometimes."

"Yeah yeah..."

"Just hurry up and go get dressed, the faster we leave then the faster I can get a pokemon."

"Damn, I never knew you wanted a pokemon so badly before."

"Well, that was because we weren't exactly able to get one. But now with Houndour, we can."

"Alright, I'll go get dressed."

"Better not keep me waiting," Hilda said as Hilbert walked past her.

Almost ten minutes later Hilbert finally walked out of his room wearing his normal outfit, much to the annoyance of his sister. Without saying anything, Hilbert just smiled at her and walked out, with her following right behind, and Houndour following her. After a minute of thinking, Hilbert calls Houndour back into his Pokeball, not wanting people to see him. A medium length trek to some woods nearby later, Hilbert and Hilda were out of the town. The two kept their eyes open for any kind of pokemon that they would be able to fight with Houndour. After a while of searching, they came across a group of pokemon.

"Shh, stay quiet," Hilbert said as he crouched down behind a bush to observe the pokemon. Hilda quickly sat beside him.

"Is that a group of venipede?"

"I think so, oh wait, I can check with the Pokedex," he said as he pulled out the rectangular device and opened up the second screen. Pointing it towards the pokemon, it read out their description.

_"Venipede: The centipede pokemon. Its bite injects a potent poison, enough to paralyze large bird Pokemon that try to prey on it."_

"Bug and poison type, Houndour should be able to take them on," Hilbert said as he pulled out his pokemon's ball.

"Be careful," Hilda said.

"Yeah, I know."

Hilbert jumped over the bush and threw Houndour's ball, releasing the pokemon.

"Hound!" Houndour cried.

Most of the venipede immediately turned to run back into bushes and trees out of fear, except one. A venipede that was a bit larger than the others stood still and faced its attacker. Houndour was first confused, however after looking at Hilbert and looking at the venipede, he quickly realized what was happening and his pokemon instincts kicked in. He stood still, ready to attack at a moment's notice. The venipede, despite facing off against a pokemon bigger than it, stood valiantly. Hilbert, never having been in a pokemon battle before, stood unsure, with the only experience he has being from watching pokemon battles on TV.

Shooting out a small needle, the venipede made the first move, which just barely missed. Right after, the wild pokemon shot another needle, which Houndour dodged as well. Repeatedly, the venipede shot at Houndour, just missing each time. Finally, Houndour was hit directly in the leg, causing him to give a quick yelp of pain, before staggering. The venipede wasted no time and quickly rolled itself into a ball and moved towards Houndour. Hitting him directly, he was sent flying back to just a few yards in front of Hilbert.

"Houndour!" Hilbert shouted to his pokemon.

Hearing the sound of his trainer, Houndour jumped back up once the venipede unrolled itself. Turning around, he ran back to Hilbert. Kneeling down, Hilbert placed one of his hands on his pokemon's head and the other under his chin, giving him a small grin, trying to assure him that everything will be okay. Responding with a quick nod, Houndour turned his attention back to the wild venipede, who stood ready to attack.

"Alright, let's try being offensive," Hilbert said. "Use Ember!"

Obeying the command, Houndour shot out a small flame that went straight towards the venipede. Being a little sluggish from how much energy it had used already, it just barely got out of the way. Hilbert ordered his pokemon to use Ember right after the venipede had dodged, causing it to trip when trying to dodge the attack.

"Now use Howl!"

Houndour raised his head and let out a cry, sending visible soundwaves away from his mouth. A red aura started to glow around his body and rose into the air. Hilbert read the move list for Houndour on his Pokedex, noting that Howl boosts the attack of the pokemon who used it. However, in addition to increasing Houndour's attack, it also managed to raise his fighting spirit and he began jumping around, ready to get back into the fight.

"Use Ember repeatedly!"

Houndour shot continuous balls of fire at the venipede, a couple of them hitting directly. Due to how intense the fire was, plus having a weakness to it, the venipede rolled backward, stopping when hitting the base of a tree. Despite having to struggle, the venipede got to its feet and began to roll towards Houndour once again.

"Houndour, it seems to be weak now, use Ember on it as it rolls towards you!"

Once the venipede began to roll towards him, Houndour shot out a breath of fire, as much as it could on the rolling pokemon. This proved to be too much for it, as it then stopped rolling and collapsed on the ground, unconscious. Houndour took some breaths before standing as tall as he can, proud of his first ever knockout on a pokemon. He ran back to Hilbert, who was then knocked down by his pokemon unexpectantly jumping into him.

"Yeah yeah...good boy," Hilbert said in between licks from Houndour. "I'm proud of you...return!" Houndour went back into the pokeball in Hilbert's hand.

"Ung," Hilbert sat up, wiping all the slobber from Houndour off his face.

"Hey, you decided to steal a pokemon," Hilda laughed as she came out from the bushes.

"Oh shut up. Just go catch your pokemon."

"Yes, ma'am."

Hilbert gave her a look. Hilda walked over to where the venipede was lying down. Looking down at it, she could barely move. If the ball succeeds in catching it, she would now have a pokemon, something she's wanted since she was just a little girl. Hilbert leaned back on his hands and let out a sigh.

"For something that lasted just a couple minutes, that was stressful."

"Well, now you know how to battle. Plus, Houndour seemed to enjoy it."

"Yeah," Hilbert rubbed some of Houndour's saliva into the grass, "Despite what he went through in the fight, he still seemed to have a lot of energy when it was over."

Hilda let out a chuckle. Looking back to the venipede, she pulled up the pokeball. Pressing the button, she dropped it onto the venipede. The ball bounced and opened up. Sending out a red light on the venipede before taking it into the ball. It then shook once, then twice, then three times. For Hilda, time froze and she held her breath. Something that only took about a second felt like it was taking an hour to Hilda. Finally, she heard a click from the ball. She now had a pokemon of her won.

"Yes! I got my own pokemon!" she shouted as she picked up the venipede's ball. Hilbert looked up at her with a bit of surprise.

"Man, I didn't know you were gonna be so happy to get a pokemon."

"I am, I've wanted one since I was just a kid."

"Technically speaking you are a kid still. You know, fourteen."

"Oh shut up," Hilda threw a small pebble at Hilbert.

"Ow..."

"What you get."

"Yeah yeah, anyway, we should probably go home and rest, I'm sure Houndour is at least a little exhausted. Even if he didn't show it."

"Yeah, I don't really like being in the woods anyway. Kinda creepy here, don't you think?"

"Eh, not to me, I got Houndour," Hilbert said as he stood up and began walking out of the woods, "Plus, now I have you and that venipede."

Hilda smiled at that thought.

Once home, Hilbert crashed on the couch with Houndour laying next to him, with Hilda going into the yard to get to know her pokemon better. Hilbert turned on the TV, flipping through the different channels trying to find something of interest to him. After a while, he ended off on the news. Not finding anything better, he decided to see what's going on in the world. The news anchor talked about some local criminal activities, boring current events, and something related to Unovan gym leaders. But then they brought up that a body of an unknown man was found in a dumpster. Slightly intrigued, Hilbert stayed watching.

Nothing of note was said about the man, other than basic descriptions of him, like his height and possible age. Hilbert got a questioning look on his face.

_'That sounds really similar to the guy I took the stuff from yesterday,'_ he thought to himself.  _'Eh, I doubt it though.'_

They then flashed a photo of the man's face, causing Hilbert to completely freeze. Just then, the front door opened, and Hilda stepped back into the house with a small grin on her face. Noticing the face on her brother, her smile quickly faded.

"Hilbert, what's wrong?" she asked with concern.

Hilbert, with a shaky arm, pointed towards the TV. Hilda looked at the man on screen, still unsure of what he was trying to say.

"What is it? Who is that?"

"It...it's...the guy..."

"What guy?"

"The guy...I took..."

Realizing what Hilbert was trying to say, Hilda looked at the TV in the same shock as her brother. If the man he had stolen from is dead, then for all they knew, they could be in trouble as well. The people behind the man's murder would probably want to hurt or kill anyone involved.

"I remember...when I watched the man's briefcase, he said he was meeting someone. I, I think that he was supposed to hand the briefcase over to whoever he was meeting."

"Do you think that he might've been killed because of the items you stole?"

"I don't know. I don't even know what the guy's name was."

"What if we go to the police? They'll likely put us into some kind of protection."

"No way," Hilbert stood up and began pacing around, "If we go to the police, then they'll make us give up everything I took, even Houndour."

"Well, we can't just sit around and do nothing!" Hilda jumped up.

"I know!" Hilbert stopped pacing and covered his head in his hands, "Look I'll, I'll think of something."

"Think of something fast, I don't want to die over twenty-thousand!"

"Calm down okay?! Look, we don't even know why the guy was killed. For all we know, it could be for something entirely unrelated to that briefcase."

"There's no way that can be true! It makes perfect sense if stealing that money and stuff got him killed. Whoever he was making the deal with was pissed that the guy tried to cheat him out of whatever he was offering for it."

Hilbert sat down and leaned against the back of the couch. Hilda doing the same.

"Okay, all I know is, that we need to think of something to do..."

"If just one person who is involved with those people behind that guy's death in any way find out about us..." Hilda turned to her brother and he looked at her.

"We are so fucked..."

* * *

**And chapter two of the rewrite is done. I have plans for chapter three but will probably do a chapter for my other story before doing the third one for this. I don't want to take too long to write for one story over the other. As you can probably tell I'm tryna make this a bit more serious than my last one. By the end of the story, I would want it to be as seen as fairly dark but without being overbearingly so. If you got any questions, leave a comment or PM me and I'll get to responding to it ASAP. Anyway, peace.**

**~~~Sikahdik.**


	3. Escalations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The two's lives change even more than they could've guessed.

Hilbert opened his eyes and stared blankly up to the ceiling. Judging from the lack of light coming in from the window, he assumed it was around three in the morning. Despite his tired state, the events of the previous day flooded his head. He remembered helping his sister catch a venipede, then coming back home to find out the man he had stolen from was dead. Placing his hand on his face, he wondered what he should do. They had no idea who killed him, the specific reason why, or if the people who did it know about them.

He knew they needed a plan and that they needed one soon. Sitting up, Hilbert looked over to his sister. Seeing her sleep, seemingly peaceful, filled him with fear that something might happen to them, to her. He doesn't want himself to be the reason his only real family member gets hurt or even killed.

Hearing a small yawn, he looked down to the floor, seeing his pokemon staring up at him, with his head turned sideways. Giving a small grin, Hilbert stood up and walked out of the room, Houndour in tow. Once he made it to the kitchen he looked through the fridge for anything to eat, which after a few minutes, was some lunch meat.

"Sliced roasted Pignite..." he said as he put a piece in his mouth, "Eh, it's alright."

Houndour gave a quiet yelp. Hilbert tossed him a slice, which his companion was quick to consume. Chuckling, he went back to serving himself. After a few minutes of going back and forth between them, he heard the sound of a car pull up into the driveway. Being sure of who it was, Hilbert froze in place, dropping the package of meat that was in his hand.

Houndour was about to help himself when he was pushed back by his owner. Looking up, he was told to go into the room and stay there unless told otherwise. Obeying the command, he ran back and jumped onto Hilda's bed.

Picking up the package, Hilbert heard the door open, and loud footsteps come in. Dreading what might happen, he quickly threw away the floor meat and tried to walk back into his room when he heard his name called.

"Hilbert, why are you awake?" a deep masculine voice sternly asked him.

"I was just eating something, but now I'm going back to bed."

"Well hold on, I want to talk to you," the voice commanded, angrily.

Hilbert let out a sigh, "What is it, Dad?"

"You want to tell me why, while I'm at work, the police come and start asking me questions about some man who was found dead?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," he tried to keep a calm voice.

"Oh really, so you weren't the kid seen talking to him just a day before he was killed?"

Hilbert tensed up and as fast as he could, he attempted to calm himself.

"What are you talking about?"

"The police said that witnesses claimed to see a kid, fitting your description, talking to him the day before his body was found. And considering he was seen at a place in walking distance from here, I have suspicion to believe it was you."

"So what if I talked to some now dead guy?"

"So you admit you talked to him? You're lucky that a friend of mine who's a cop came to talk to me first, had he gone directly to you, you probably would've been arrested."

"I didn't do shit."

"Cut the crap, just tell me the truth you little punk."

"What truth?"

"You probably had something to do with that man."

"I didn't do anything. What are you so fucking pissed for?"

"Because if that man was connected to any gangs, and they find out who we are, we could be targetted for something you two idiots did."

"And I'm supposed to care, why?"

Not saying anything, his father rushed forward and grabbed Hilbert, pushing him into the wall behind him. A hand came up and clasped his mouth shut. Hearing the front door open again, he heard lighter, quieter footsteps walk into the house.

"Now honey, don't hold our son like that."

"Alright dear..." letting out a crooked smile, he dropped Hilbert onto the floor.

The woman, his mother, walked up to Hilbert and looked down at him with pity in her eyes. She crouched down, Hilbert attempted to sit up and be eye level with her, when she struck him across the face with the back of her hand. Falling again, he felt big, strong hands grab the back of his neck, lifting him. Turning him around, his father then slugged him, hitting him on the eye.

Hilbert couldn't contain the sound of pain this time and let out a small shout. With his now one good eye, he saw an arm get cocked back, ready to punch again. Hilbert closed his eyes.

"Gah, fuck! What the fuck is this thing?!"

He forcefully opened his eyes and saw Houndour biting down on his father's arm, blood around his teeth.

Letting go of his grip, he dropped his son, attempting to swing on the mysterious beast biting his arm.

"Use Poison Sting!" he heard a girl's voice shout. He then saw a small needle hit his dad in the side of the arm, causing it to go limp and for him to scream from the pain. Feeling a hand grab him, Hilbert stood up and was pushed towards the door.

"Houndour, Venipede, return!" his sister shouted, "Hilbert, run!"

He did as he was told, running as hard as he could outside, feeling his sister's presence behind him. He attempted to slow down his pace, so he could run next to her instead of ahead, but he was met to a hand pushing his back. So, he continued to just run. After a while, he collapsed against a fence. A few moments later, Hilda crashed next to him as well. Eventually, they caught their breath, and Hilda was the first to speak.

"Well, looks like they didn't run after us...here, take these," she said as she handed him Houndour's Pokeball, half of the money, and a pair of socks and shoes.

Being grateful for not having to run barefoot anymore, Hilbert hastily put on his shoes. Hilbert leaned his head back onto the fence, a little dazed from all the running and the punch he got from earlier.

"What the fuck just happened?" Hilbert knew what had occurred, but it felt like a dream. He just needed someone to confirm it.

"Well, Houndour came into our room and woke me up by jumping on the bed. He looked worried so I started trying to comfort him when I heard dad's voice. I tried to keep myself quiet but then I heard him start to yell and assumed the worst was gonna happen. So, I got myself ready to leave in case something happened, and when you screamed, he ran out to you."

Looking down at the Pokeball in his hand, Hilbert thought of how, despite only being together for less than two days at this point, Houndour was willing to save him, just like that. Gripping the ball tighter, he made a mental promise to himself. He doesn't want to be in a situation where his partner would have to risk his own life because of him. Shrinking the ball, and putting it in his pocket, he started staring up to the sky, placing a hand on his, now, black eye.

"So..." he started.

"We're, homeless now..." she finished, "What do we do now?"

"I...I don't know."

The two sat there, for what felt like an eternity. Hilda, sitting with her head in between her legs and Hilbert, trying to think of what they should do. They can't go back to the only place they ever called home and it's not like they know anyone that would take them in. They were on their own. Finally, after an extensive period of silence, Hilbert spoke up.

"Ok, we need to find a place to stay. We can't live on the streets."

"But where can we go?"

Looking around them, Hilbert tried to figure out what area they were in. After a few minutes, he had an idea of their location.

"Hm, I'm pretty sure there's a motel, like three blocks from here. I say, we go and stay there for a couple of nights."

"Well, beats sleeping on the streets I guess."

The two got up and set off in the direction Hilbert had hoped was way of the motel. Once they passed a few blocks, they became less and less hopeful that they would find it. Just when Hilbert was about to call it quits, his sister pointed down the street at a pink neon sign that read "The Munna Motel". Picking up their pace, they marched on over to the complex.

"Oh thank god we found it!"

"Yeah, I don't want to walk anymore. Okay, I'll go check us in for a room, you wait out here."

"Okay," Hilda sat as she sat down on a bench while Hilbert went around a wall looking for the main office.

Sitting alone, she covered her face in her hands. She began to think about what could happen to them, what would happen, now that they were homeless. They could be easily mugged or killed, or anything. Their only saving grace was that they had their pokemon, but she only had hers for a few hours at this point, and even Hilbert only had Houndour for a little over a day.

Not to mention the fact he's only been in one battle with a wild pokemon, and she hasn't even done that. If someone on the street who was only a half-competent trainer tried to mess with them, they could be screwed. Tears began to form, and then fall, from her eyes.

"Now now, a pretty girl like you shouldn't cry."

Hilda looked up, tears still falling, confused to who was talking. Standing in front of her was a somewhat tall man with long green hair tied in a fluffy ponytail, with some of the hair hanging in front of his face.

"Tell me, what brought you to the point of crying?"

"Who are you?"

"You know, some people do think it can be quite rude to ignore a question," the man spoke somewhat fast, yet soft At the same time, gave off a sense of authority in his voice.

"You just ignored my question though," she sniffled.

The man placed a kind smile on his face, then began to speak again.

"My apologies, I'll first answer your question, then you can answer mine."

She just stared at him through her watery eyes.

"My name is irrelevant for right now. I do bet you'll find out on your own soon enough."

"That doesn't answer me," she said as she wiped her tears away.

"Just because my answer differs from what you wanted, doesn't mean it isn't an answer."

"Well, I guess."

"Now tell me, what brought you to the point of crying."

"It's...something personal. I don't feel like telling someone I just randomly met outside a motel."

The man chuckled.

"Alright...how about-"

"Hilda! Come here!" Hilbert shouted from around the corner.

"Oh, that's my brother. So if you'll excuse me," Hilda said as she got up and walked quickly out of sight.

Looking at where she disappeared, the man turned around and his smile grew.

"Soon," he said as he walked off into the night.

The room Hilbert had managed to get had a somewhat cozy atmosphere about it but still felt cheap. The full-size bed was close to the wall, with only a nightstand keeping a space between them. Straight across was a large box of a TV on top of a small dresser. Just a few feet from the bed was the small bathroom, with just a toilet, a small sink, and a shower. Other than the air conditioner. the room didn't have anything else.

"How much did this room cost?"

"About two-fifty for four nights."

"God damn," Hilda sat on the bed, feeling the cheap sheets and blanket on the poor mattress.

"Well, it's a motel in a bad part of town, not a six-star hotel."

"Don't hotel ratings only go up to five stars?"

"Shut up," Hilbert said as he dropped face-first onto the bed, too tired from the night to even care how it felt. "Let's just try and get some sleep, and figure shit out in the morning."

"Alright, just wish you could've gotten a room with two beds..."

"You're welcome to sleep on the floor."

"No no, it's fine."

The two laid in bed with their backs to each other. Hilbert trying to go to sleep after everything that happened not hours before, while Hilda kept thinking about the man she met. She had no idea who he was, only spoke with him for a moment, and didn't trust him to tell her the time of day.

Yet, she couldn't help but feel that she wanted to meet him again. Something about the way he spoke, the way he smiled. Him asking what made her cry as if he cared. She quickly brushed away those thoughts and began attempting to sleep in the starchy bed.

She awoke to the sun shining its light directly into her eyes from in between the blinds on the window. Confused that her brother wasn't with her, she scanned the room. Seeing he wasn't even there with her, she began to worry, sitting up in bed she threw off the covers and stood up.

About to go running towards the door when it began to open. Expecting someone who was going to harm her, she grabbed Venipede's ball from the nightstand and stood ready to throw. When the door opened all the way, she saw that it was just her brother, holding two large bags labeled "Clefairy Clothing". Hilda just looked confused.

"Uh, morning?" Hilbert said to break the silence.

"God damn it, Hilbert. Don't just leave without telling me!" Hilda shouted as she threw a pillow at him.

"I tried to, but you wouldn't wake up. I even had Houndour try to lick you awake but that didn't work either," he replied as he dodged the soft projectile.

Hilda blinked a few times, before feeling her face with her hand, and feeling dried saliva. Flashing a face of disgust, she ran to the sink to try and clean it off. Laughing, Hilbert placed one of the bags on the bed.

"For you," he said as he went into the bathroom and closed the door.

Drying her face with a hand towel, she peered into the bag. The first thing she noticed was a white hat with a pink bill and a Pokeball on the front. Underneath that were some more clothes. Taking them out, she laid down a white tank top, black waistcoat, short denim shorts, long black socks, and a box of black boots with pink laces and soles. Quickly changing into the clothes before her brother came out, she looked at herself in the small mirror above the sink.

Not disliking what she saw, but not entirely loving it either. Her brother exited the bathroom, she looked to see what he was wearing.

Hilbert don a similar hat to Hilda, except it was black where the pink was and red on the front with the back being white. He also had on a light blue jacket with the neck and cuffs being a darker shade of blue, baggy gray pants with a black belt wrapping around his waist and a silver metal belt buckle. His feet were covered with red shoes that had black panels and white soles. Posing to show off his clothes, he waited for his sister's response. She just stared at him with a bit of confusion. Eventually, she let him know what she was thinking.

"Why did you buy new clothes?"

He went back to a normal posture.

"Because we can't just walk around in pajamas all the time. People will look at us weird."

"Yeah, but couldn't you have asked me what kind of clothes I wanted?"

"I tried to but  _someone_ didn't want to wake up this morning."

"Not my fault, plus it's probably still early. What time is it?"

"Take a guess."

"I don't know, like eight?"

"Hilda, it's almost ten-thirty."

"What!? How long did I sleep?"

"Way longer than needed."

"Okay, that's debatable."

Hilbert looked into the mirror, noticing the swelling around his eye grew more in his sleep, causing his vision to even be slightly blurred. Letting out a sigh, he walked over to the bed and laid down, stretching his arms out wide. His sister sat beside him, giving his knee a quick squeeze.

"How is it?"

"Hurts, but probably would've been worse if we stayed."

"I'm still not sure running away was the best choice to make. Especially since we didn't plan anything out."

"Well, it was better than nothing. But anyway, I got something we can do," he sat up, "Well, more of an in the moment idea until we find an actual plan."

"Better than nothing, let's hear it."

"We should just try to lay low, train Houndour and Venipede, maybe find a way to make money on the side."

"Hm, yeah, that seems like a good idea and it's not like we can do much anyway. Plus it'd be nice to be able to bond with Venipede, I've only taken her out once since catching her."

"Should we go now then?"

"Not like there's anything to do here," she shrugged.

The two set off for the closest location to find wild pokemon they could battle, Hilbert mentioned there should be some woods leading out of town. The two partially argued on the way about which direction to walk in. They agreed to go Hilda's way, which turned out to be the exact opposite so they had to take even longer to get to their destination. Once they did arrive, it had been almost an hour since they departed from the motel.

"Finally!" Hilda shouted as she collapsed onto the grass, tired of walking.

"Would've been here sooner but..." his sentence was interrupted by a small pebble hitting the side of his head.

Looking down, he saw her smirking up at him. Wanting payback, he grabbed a handful of the grass and dropped it onto her face.

"Agh! My mouth was open!" she spat on the ground before jumping up and attempted to attack her brother, who in turn began to run off laughing. She chased him for a few minutes, her face painted red while he just laughed nonstop.

"You ain't gonna catch me!" Hilbert said. His foot then caught a tree root and he was sent tumbling down a small slope.

"Are you alright?!" Hilda asked while running to the spot her brother fell.

"Yeah, I think so..."

"Gah fuck!"

She landed on top of him, causing both to let out sounds of pain, him more so than her.

"How...the fuck...did you fall?"

"Ow...I tripped..."

"Were you...not looking?"

"...You fell first..."

"Which is why...you shouldn't...have fallen," he said as he pushed her off of him.

Using the push as a boost, she managed to stand up, dusted herself off as much as she could, though not like it helped much, and offered a hand to her brother who swatted the hand away and stood up on his own. He began dusting himself off as well when he looked straight ahead. His eyes shot wide open, standing about fifty feet away from them were two large groups of people.

One group wearing blue suits and the other wearing light grey suits. Though some members were wearing lighter shades of blue and some wearing white instead of grey, on their respected sides. While he was just discovering them, they have been knowing they were there ever since Hilbert first fell down the slope.

"What are you loo-" Hilda paused her sentence. She was now looking at the two groups of randomly ornate dressed people.

After some time of staring on both sides, one of the men wearing a light blue suit scowled, and said something out of earshot of the twins. The people in blue ran back, and got into cars the two didn't realize were there, and took off on a dirt trail. The people in grey looked, displeased to say the last, and began walking towards the duo.

They pulled out pokeballs, Hilbert and Hilda copied. Seeing how shady this group was, they didn't think they would fight fairly at all. Once they were only a few meters apart, they expected the worse. But out of nowhere, a voice traveled through the air.

"Ahem!"

The grey suits all turned their heads to the voice. A few seconds later, they split down the middle. Then, a man walked down the path, in a pure white suit. It was cleaner than anything Hilbert or Hilda had ever seen and it almost hurt to look at it in the light. The light reflecting off of him and the fact the people made a passage for him, made his presence seem almost divine. He walked up to the twins, moving some green hair out of his eyes.

"I knew we would meet again soon," the man said to Hilda.

"You know him?" her brother asked in a whisper.

"No, I just talked to him outside the motel last night for like, a minute."

"It's nice to see you not crying, I do hope you're feeling better."

"Uhm, yeah, I'm fine."

"That's good news for me. It truly is."

"I'm sorry, who are you?" Hilbert chimed in, with annoyance in his voice.

"Oh, that's right, you had a brother."

He noticed the man talked fast, which annoyed him even more. It hasn't even been ten seconds and he already hates the guy.

"So, what brings you two here to our meeting?"

"We were running through the woods and ended up fall-ow!" Hilda was punched in the arm by her brother as she tried to tell what happened.

"What kind of  _'meeting'_ was this? Pretty much as soon as those guys in blue saw us they ran away," he demanded as his sister rubbed her arm, praying to not get a bruise. The man just chuckled.

"I don't mean to offend, but you aren't in a position to act tough here. In case you haven't noticed," he gestured to the dozen or so people around him, "If it comes down to a pokemon battle, you won't leave unscathed."

He just gritted his teeth and stayed quiet, knowing he was right. The only thing and Hilda could do would be to try and run away, which probably wouldn't work out anyway.

Seeing that the boy was going to keep his mouth shut, he spoke up again.

"I suppose it wouldn't hurt to tell you who I am. My name is..." he paused, "N."

"N? That's it?" Hilda asked while Hilbert just glared at him, unable to be even more annoyed than he currently is.

"I'll admit, it is more of a nickname, but that doesn't change the fact you now have something to refer to me as."

"Excuse me, sir?" one of the men in the lighter grey suits interrupted the conversation.

"What is it?"

"The boss wants us to hurry this up, given the fact 'they' left, we're just wasting time staying here."

"Hm, you're right. Get the cars ready, I'll be there in a minute," the man nodded in acknowledgment as he, along with all the other suited people, turned around a corner, out of sight. The sound of car engines starting up could be faintly heard.

"Well, this is where we part ways. But trust me, we'll be meeting again very soon," N smiled at the two, before turning around walking out of sight. A moment later they heard the cars drive off until they were surrounded by silence.

"God I hate that guy."

"What do you think they were all doing here?"

"I don't know and I don't care. Now let's go, we should try to train Houndour and Venipede as much as we can."

"..."

"Hilda?"

"Huh? Oh yeah! Let's go..."

Hilbert looked at her confused, he would've tried to figure out why she acted weird but he was still pissed about talking to N, so he ignored it instead. The two climbed up the knoll and began trekking through the woods. Keeping their eyes out for any pokemon, they tried to find their way back to where they started.

They mostly wandered around aimlessly, due to them just running earlier with the sole purpose of either running away from someone trying to attack him or running to attack someone running from her. So they didn't exactly take in their surroundings.

After some time, they saw a bush rustling. They stopped in their tracks, watching, waiting for something to come out. Just a few moments later, out came a purple feline pokemon.

The two stood in place, just looking at the pokemon enjoying itself. They watched on for a few seconds until Hilbert broke the silence.

"Well, I guess one of us should battle it."

"I don't know, it looks so happy. We should probably leave it al-"

"Go Houndour!"

While Hilda hesitated, he was quick to engage in a battle. Wanting to get as much training as he can to better himself. The wild pokemon noticed the two after Hilbert shouted so it stood ready for battle. Once Houndour had come out from his ball, he looked around. Wondering what was happening, then he realized, he was in another battle. He stood like he was ready to pounce forward, waiting for an order.

"Hilda, here!" Hilbert said as he tossed her the Pokedex.

 _'Shit shit shit'_ she thought as the device went flying towards her.

She wasn't much of a catcher and she was worried about it breaking if she failed to receive it. It was a tad bit too high, so she jumped as hard as she could, reaching for it with one hand. She fell back and rolled for a few feet before landing against a tree. Rubbing her head from the tumble, she looked down to her other hand, seeing the rectangular grey object.

"Yes!"

"Would you hurry it up?!"

"Huh? Oh right!" she said as she got up to her feet and ran back to the action. She pulled up the second screen and pointed it to the purple creature.

_"Purrloin: The devious pokemon. Its cute act is a ruse. When victims let down their guard, they find their items taken. It attacks with sharp claws. This purrloin is female and currently level seven."_

Once the Pokedex was done with speaking, the purrloin struck. Its claws grew on one paw as it leaped towards Houndour. Striking him on the face. He stumbled back, shaking off any of the pain he felt. Staring the feline down, he let out a growl. Showing he was ready to fight.

"Houndour, use leer!"

Houndour gave a successful intimidating look towards Purrloin. The former then coward back for a few seconds, in which timeframe Hilbert gave the order to attack with an Ember. Getting hit by the fire directly, Purrloin stumbled back trying to get a hold of its footing. Attempting to stand tall, a wave of red washed over her. Houndour's flame left the wild pokemon with a burn.

Annoyed, she let out a loud growl at Houndour, who then crouched down from the noise. Seeing an opportunity, the cat-like pokemon ran up to him and swiped with its paw once more. This time, he jumped back and unleashed another breath of fire hitting it once more at point-blank range. The force of the blast caused her to roll back, when she did manage to stand up, she was engulfed in the flame from her burn. She fell onto her back paws, breathing hard.

"Finish this with another Ember!"

Once again, Purrloin was devoured by fire. Letting out one last cry, she fainted on the spot. Standing triumphantly but still hurt, Houndour looked proud. He turned to his owner, who smiled down to his four-legged friend and his sister, who was clapping enthusiastically for him.

"Way to go Houndour, now get some rest. Return," Hilbert lifted the Pokeball that sent out its red light to retrieve his pokemon.

"We keep going like this he'll probably evolve before we know it."

"You think houndours do evolve?"

"Well, I don't know actually. They could, or might not. Maybe he'll stay his lovable self forever."

Looking down at the ball in his hand, Hilbert wondered if he would want that. He sees Houndour as his new best friend, if not his family, but he isn't the most powerful thing in the world. What if he wasn't strong enough for them? What if he stays too weak, and when the time comes, he isn't able to keep them safe? If Hilbert doesn't have a strong pokemon, he won't be able to better his or Hilda's life. They'll be stuck living as they do.

"Welp," Hilda said, interrupting his train of thought, "We should train some more."

"Yeah, we should. For now let's just walk around, but make sure we know where we are. Also, stick together, at least until we know the woods better."

"Aye aye captain."

* * *

**And we are done! I took quite a bit to get this finished, mostly because stuff was goin on, plus I wanted to write a lot. It's over 5 thousand words long on its own, the longest I've ever done lol. My first chapters combined are barely under 5k. So definitely a big difference lol.**

**Can't say if other chapters will be this long, maybe try to do 3k+ from now on. But other than that, like always, leave a review if you have anything say, don't forget to favorite/follow if you like it, and cya later. Peace.**

**~~~Sikahdik**


	4. First Day on the Job

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The two do their first job.

There was a loud knock at the door. Hilbert and Hilda turned their attention to the front of the room, grabbing their pokeballs. When the knocking stopped, they just stood to wait. They expected the door to burst open, someone or something knocking it off its hinges. But nothing happened, the banging ended and the door remained in its place. After some time, Hilbert was the one who decided to approach.

Slowly, he made his way to the wooden rectangle, nervous of what he might encounter. He grabbed the handle, which was a bit hard to grip, mostly from the sweat on his palms. He turned the knob, slowly. Once it couldn't turn anymore, he pulled back the door and jumped to the side expecting at least someone standing there. So naturally, he and Hilda were left confused when no one was there. Despite how he was feeling just a few seconds before, he peaked his head out of the doorway, to see if anyone was walking away.

He looked down and to his surprise, there was a pink messenger bag laying on the ground.

"What is it?" Hilda asked.

"Just a bag," Hilbert replied as he gave one last look around, in case anyone was watching him.

"Is that it?" she let her shoulders rest and placed the ball in her hand into her pocket.

"Wait, it feels like there's some stuff inside."

Walking over to the bed, he unzipped the bag and turned it upside down, letting its contents spill out on the sheets. To the two's surprise, sitting in front of them was now a small pile of money. They looked at the cash, then each other, then back to the money. Hilbert began smiling and was about to say something when Hilda ignored him and started scooping the money together. Moving it over to the nightstand she got all the bills lined up by tapping them on the table. When they were easy to hold, she began counting.

"The hell?"

"What?"

"It's five thousand dollars..."

"Well, it's not the first time we came across random money."

"The 'first time' you stole that money," she said matter-of-factly, to which he just shrugged.

"And this isn't random, someone left it there for us. Is there anything else in the bag?"

"Hm," he began scanning the inside, "Oh wait, yeah, there's a note."

"What's it say?"

"'Half upfront, the rest when you complete the job. Meet at the nearest pokecenter in one hour.'"

Hilda looked at her brother confused, while he turned his head at the paper in his hand.

"Meet who?"

"Doesn't say, just to meet and where to."

"What does it mean by 'job'?"

"Hilda, I know the same amount of information as you, stop asking me questions."

" _Sorry_ if I want to know who left the money and why."

"There's no point in asking me questions. Just get ready to go."

"What?! You want to meet with them?"

"Uh, yeah."

"We don't even know who left the money, or why they want to meet with us."

"That's why we go meet them, to find out."

"But it could be a trap by someone, like whoever is behind that guy's murder. They could be coming for us now!"

"Relax, we have Houndour and Venipede, and after yesterday they're a bit stronger now. If anything happens, they'll protect us."

"Well, I suppose you're right," she said as she took a deep breath and stood up.

Ready to leave, Hilbert was the first one out the door, but right before he stepped outside, he turned his head to his sister and gave her a small grin. What most people would've seen as an insignificant action, Hilda, took it to have more meaning. That it was his way of saying things will be alright. And thus, all her worries about what might happen went away. She had faith in their pokemon and especially her brother.

In just a few minutes, and after asking for directions, they found the orange roofed building. They thought the place looked impressive on the outside, but upon entering, they were borderline in awe.

Trainers were coming and going at a breakneck pace, yet the single nurse joy behind the counter didn't look exhausted at all. She just kept helping with whoever was in need with a smile on her face. Even two clerks behind a blue desk looked like they were doing just fine despite how the lines seemed to fill up once they disappear.

The building itself was impressive to the two as well, two fully opened floors, the place felt somewhat empty when looking at all the unused space in the air.

Remembering they were here for a reason, they went to a waiting area. Sitting down on a bench, Hilbert leaned back and let out a sigh.

"Is something wrong?" Hilda asked as she went down next to him.

"Not really, I just wish we left the motel later, cause now we have to wait for the person to show up."

"I don't know why you're complaining, you wanted to leave right away."

"Well, how was I supposed to know that the pokecenter was just a couple blocks away?"

"We could've asked someone at the motel for directions, instead of just leaving."

"I thought it was gonna take longer."

"Wow, headline; 'Hilbert gets something wrong!', that's never happened before..."

The two continued their petty and pointless argument. Getting so distracted they didn't even notice the hooded person walking up to them until they announced themselves.

"Ahem!"

Hilda looked up surprised, she had no idea how long they had been standing there. Hilbert however, looked up to them, clearly annoyed.

"Can we help you with something?"

"If you want the rest of the money, stay quiet."

Realizing who the person was, and to keep the conversation from going completely south, Hilda immediately clamped a hand on her brother's mouth, keeping him from talking.

"Ignore him."

"I was going to. Now, on to business, follow me," the man said as he turned around and walked towards the exit. The two hesitate for a second, until deciding it would be best to do as he says.

Following him outside of the building he began walking down the street until he turned down into an alley. Again, the two looked reluctant. But still chose to go down the dark passage. The man stopped and turned to face them.

"Alright look, here's what I need you two to do," as he spoke, he began to take off his hood to reveal he had slicked down blue hair and took off his sunglasses to reveal bright blue eyes. Immediately, the two recognized this man.

"Oh my god! You're Cress!" Hilda said, well, more like yelled.

**_A/N - In the story, Hilbert and Hilda live in Striaton City._ **

" _Shut the fuck up!"_ Cress hissed, causing her to cower behind her brother. "In case you haven't noticed, I'm trying to keep a low profile. Having some dumbass girl scream my name as loud as she could don't help that now does it?"

"Hey, do you want our help or not?" Hilbert chimed in.

"Whatever," Cress scowled, "Just keep her mouth under control. Now what I need you to do is make a delivery for me."

"That's it?"

"What did you expect? For me to have you guys do a hit for me? Just take this package and take it to where I need you to go. I can't exactly do it myself, even coming to the pokecenter can risk someone noticing me and I can't work with a crowd of wannabe battlers surrounding me."

"And someone finding out a gym leader is dirty would likely ruin some people's reputation so we have to do it?"

"That, and if someone as important as me gets caught being involved with any sort of crime, league officials would start investigating. And any ties I have will get found out, ruining almost every gang in the city."

"Really? Almost every gang?"

"I have a lot of connections."

Hilbert looked at Cress in a new light. If what he said was true, about having ties to every gang, then he should watch what he says to him. Someone has strong as a gym leader likely has a lot of pull, probably enough even get someone killed.

"So, what do you want us to deliver?"

"This," Cress said as he handed the boy a small parcel, "Don't worry about what's inside, just know that if you get caught with it, you're fucked."

"Yeah yeah, just tell us where to go."

"Do you know the Dreamyard? Just west of the Gym?"

The young teens stared at Cress, who looked back at them and let out a sigh.

"How do you not know?"

"Well, we don't go that much around the city."

"Yeah, we don't even live around  _here_. Let alone that part of town."

Face palming, Cress reached into his pocket.

"Here take this, it's a town map. Should help you find it."

The map lived up to its name, showing all of Striaton, most of which Hilbert and Hilda have only heard about when watching the news.

"I'll be heading back now. You can probably make it there in an hour or so," Cress said as he put his glasses and hood back on.

With that, he left the dark alley, leaving the two alone. They looked at the small package, unsure of if they should go through with it. After thinking for a few minutes, the two decided it was the best course of action. All they have to do was make a simple delivery, then they get paid. Easy.

It took a little more than an hour, the map was straightforward, but the two still got lost. They had never been anywhere around the Gym. It was completely different from their neighborhood. Most of the buildings had multiple stories and were well maintained. Not to mention the number of people and children outside. They two tried to focus on getting to their destination, but something made Hilda stop.

In one of the yards, a couple was playing with their two children. A boy and a girl.

She looked at them and thought about her past when she was as young as the two kids. From what she remembers, she never had a moment like that. She had never experienced a parent's love.

"Hey, come on," Hilbert said, gently pulling her away from the scene. She looked at the happy family one last time, before having them disappear once she went around the corner. She hoped she never saw them again.

Another few minutes of walking, they made it to the entrance of the Dreamyard. Surprising to them, there was a slight path leading into it because children like to play there. They originally thought that it would've been an abandoned area and that they would've had to sneak in or something. But luckily for them, that was not the case.

There were some children and their pokemon running around, Hilbert and Hilda were careful to stay out of their line of sight. After a few moments, Hilda made a realization.

"Wait, who are we supposed to meet with?"

Hilbert mentally facepalmed. He forgot about a crucial point. Getting the package to its correct destination is one thing, but they also needed to give it to someone.

"God damn it..." he sighed.

"How did you forget to ask about the person we're supposed to meet?"

"Well, you didn't ask either."

"I didn't even really want to be here! You should've just been doing everything."

"In case you haven't noticed, I'm completely new to this!"

"Alright, alright. Let's just, look for someone who might be our guy."

The two scanned the nearby area, but only saw children with their parents or pokemon. Realizing that if they were expecting someone to deliver them something illegal, they would likely stay out of the public eye as well. Going through a semi-large concrete arch, they went deeper into the Dreamyard.

After a concerned parent told them about the wild pokemon in that area, and after they lied about being trainers, the two were finally alone.

They wandered around outside, not seeing anyone. They then found a set of stairs that lead underground and debated about going down it. Hilda insisted on avoiding it, but once Hilbert started walking down, she was quick to follow.

At first, the place was a little too dark to see, but eventually, their eyes adjusted and they were able to at least make out objects in the dark to avoid bumping into things. They took a few steps before someone called out to them.

"Hey, you kids!"

Two figures came out from a darkened area, and while the twins couldn't see their faces, the way they stood gave off that they weren't exactly happy with their presence.

"Did Bless send you?"

"Bless?" Hilda asked.

"Are you two not the ones making the delivery?" one of the two strangers said in annoyance.

Hilbert suddenly comprehended the situation. And he felt a little stupid for not realizing sooner.

"Oh, here," he said pulling out the small parcel from his waistband.

One of the men grabbed the tiny box and quickly opened it up. The man couldn't see, but he felt the object he had unwrapped in his hands. After the first man gave a small nod, the second one reached forward and handed Hilda a stack of bills. Feeling it's weight, she deemed it was the same as when she held the five thousand from earlier.

"Well, we're leaving now," Hilbert said while turning around.

"Fine, we don't need anything else from you."

The two were going up the stairs, with Hilda behind her brother, when one of the guys began snickering out loud and the other called out after her.

"Hey, girl! If you want to make even more money you should visit us alone sometime!"

Hilbert stopped and was about to turn around when Hilda pushed him forward. She didn't say anything, but the look in her eyes read " _let's just leave"_  so he just gritted his teeth and walked into the light.

The trip back to the motel was uneventful, just a silent walk for the full hour or so. It was starting to get darker, as evident by the fewer people they saw out. The two decided to turn in, maybe leave for food and that was it. Hilda walked in after her brother, confused as to why he walked up to the messenger bag and once again emptied its contents onto the bed.

Confusing her even more, he then went to the dresser in which they keep the rest of their money and pulled the stacks out, which, after the motel and new clothes, was still over eighteen thousand. He undid the rubber bands, then tossed all the money on the bed. The small grin he had on his face quickly grew into a smile which then turned into laughter. Something he rarely did.

He threw himself onto the bed and while still laughing, began tossing the money into the air. Growing a smile of her own, she began giggling as well. Taking out the five thousand they just made and tossing it with the rest of the money, she then lied next to her brother and grabbed a handful of bills and stared at them while holding them to the light.

They were too focused on what they were doing, the fact that it was wrong had clouded their feelings. They were looking at the job in the eyes of the law and not what they truly wanted.

The one thing both had always wanted. The thing they had to steal to get by some nights. The thing that was gone almost as soon as they obtained it. What they always wanted and always thought they would never truly have.

Money.

While Hilbert wanted to protect his sister and pokemon, he did always wanted to pay for things. Not just steal all the time. He liked how it made him feel, spending his cash. Not having to deal with guilt.

Hilda, however, was still somewhat unsure of this lifestyle. She has always wanted to buy nice clothes, like the ones she would watch commercials for. The best she ever has gotten was a T-shirt with a gothitelle outline on the front. It wasn't even a shirt her parents had bought or one she managed to buy herself, she had stolen in from a friend she once had.

But now, she can buy whatever she wants. They both can. They looked at each other and silently agreed. They were going to continue their jobs. For as long as it takes.

* * *

**Chapter four finally done! It would've been done about two or three weeks ago but was hella sick and couldn't write. Then when I would've been done last week school got in the way. But anyway, let me know how you feel about the chapter. This is also when the "crime" genre starts kicking in. I do have plans for what to do next but y'all know how I am with updating.**

**Oh yeah, before I forget, I'm looking for a beta reader if anyone is interested. Just PM me if you are.**

**Well, that's all for now, peace.**

**~~~Sikahdik.**


	5. Crimson Glass

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hilbert makes Hilda a promise.

It's been over a week since Hilbert and Hilda had done their first job for Cress. Since then, the two have done more jobs. Through those jobs, Hilbert had learned that it's quite easy to persuade someone who doesn't have pokemon of their own when Houndour looks as though he'll use his Ember attack on them. Hilda had learned some things as well. She found that, as a girl, it was easy to get what she wanted, even without making a threat.

The last job the two did would be a perfect example of her using her feminine qualities to get what she wanted. They had to deliver a package to a man in Accumula Town when they had refused to pay.

***Two Days Ago***

"Dude, just fucking pay up," said Hilbert.

His temper was quickly rising with the man. At first, the man had complained about Hilda and Hilbert being late. Then he complained they had given him the wrong package. When he finally realized it was the right package, he began to refuse to pay.

"No, you two caused me too many problems."

"We gave you exactly what you wanted. So what's the problem?" said Hilda quietly. They were in a café, which while not packed, it wasn't exactly empty either. The last thing she wanted was someone to overhear their conversation.

"Oh, I shouldn't even still be here!" said the man. He stood up and began walking toward the front doors. Hilbert and Hilda were quick to follow him outside. Once on the sidewalk, the man started a brisk pace down the street. Hilda saw they were about to pass an alley when she had an idea.

"Hey, stay back for a minute, okay?" she whispered to her brother.

"Why?"

"You'll see."

"Alright, fine."

Jogging past the man, Hilda stopped in front of him, causing them to almost crash.

"Huh? Hey kid, get out of my way."

"Please, sir. Can you pay us for that package? If we go back empty-handed, the men who sent us will hurt us. You don't want them to hurt me, do you?"

Hilda looked up to the man with fake tears in her eyes and placed her hands on his chest. The man looked down with a hint of sympathy on his face.

"Kid, just-"

"Please, mister!"

"No, you-"

"What if I do something to get the money in another way?"

Hilbert looked from behind the man to his sister, a confused look on his face, but Hilda ignored him.

"What are you talking about?" said the man. He was taken aback by Hilda's suggestion.

"I'm talking about this," Hilda said as she slowly moved her hands down the man's front. They stopped at his belt, which she slipped her index fingers into and gave a slight pull as if to say  _follow me_. Hilda and the man stepped towards the alley.

"Hilbert, keep watch, okay?" she said happily. The man had a smile on his face as he looked down at Hilda. The man couldn't see it, but Hilda gave Hilbert a wink, using the brim of her hat to hide it.

As Hilda and the man disappeared into the alley, Hilbert took to leaning on the wall beside him. Uneasiness fell over Hilbert when he started to hear the two arguing.

"If you pay first, then I'll do it," said Hilda.

"No. If you want the money, then you'll do it first."

"You already tried to skip out on paying for the package. How do I know you won't try to cheat me on this too?"

"Fine," the man said. "Here's the money for the package, plus extra for-GAH!"

Hilbert was about to go and see what made the man scream when Hilda ran out of the alley.

"Run!" Hilda said as she took off down the street with Hilbert in hot pursuit.

The two ran to the edge of Accumula Town before stopping. Once they had regained their breath, Hilbert began asking the questions plaguing his mind.

"Why the fuck did we run?"

"Because," Hilda said. "You know how that guy screamed? It's because I kicked him in the nuts."

"Bitch, why?"

"He wanted me to suck his dick to get the money. I wasn't about to do that, so I improvised."

"You robbed him, is what you're saying."

"Yeah, pretty much."

Hilbert stared at his sister for a moment.

"Alright, fair enough. How much did you get?"

"Hmm," Hilda pulled a roll of bills being held together by a rubber band. Taking off the rubber band and then shooting it at her brother, Hilda quickly counted the money.

"About seven thousand."

"Were we supposed to be paid that much?"

Hilda shrugged as she pocketed half the money and handed the rest to Hilbert.

"Aw fuck," Hilbert said. "I just realized. What if the guy calls the cops on us?"

"And tell them what?  _This fifteen-year-old girl I tried to have sex with robbed me_. Not to mention why we were there in the first place."

"Alright, alright, I get it. Let's find a cab then and go back to Striaton."

"Yeah, not like there's much to do here anyway."

***Present***

Rolling off the bed, Hilda stood up and walked to her motel room's bathroom sink. She looked at her reflection in the mirror.

"Aw man, I have bags under my eyes," she said.

"Probably because you keep going to sleep late," said Hilbert from the bed. He currently has his face in a magazine about gym leaders. "Seriously, go to bed sooner. You're even keeping Houndour awake."

At the mention of his name, Hilbert's pokemon jumped onto the bed and landed on Hilbert's stomach. In his mix of pain and surprise, Hilbert threw his magazine to the side and sat up.

"Ow, Houndour," he said. "Stop doing that."

Houndour stepped off of Hilbert and sat beside him.

"I wish he would stop doing that," Hilbert said while rubbing his stomach. Hilda stepped away from the mirror, chuckling.

"You could just keep him in his Pokeball," she said.

"He doesn't like that. Why don't you keep Venipede outside her ball?"

"Because she doesn't like Houndour. He bothers her."

"He does not."

"Really?"

Hilda took Venipede's ball out of her pocket and pressed the button on the front of it. A red beam had shot out onto the bed, quickly forming the shape of Venipede before she appeared herself. Immediately, Houndour was standing over Venipede, sniffing her shell as if it was the first time they ever met.

"Vennnn!" Venipede cried.

"Venipede, return!" said Hilda. As quickly as she was released, Venipede was back in her Pokeball. Houndour looked at Hilda with his head turned to the side, wondering why she would make Venipede go back into her ball.

"Alright, I see your point. Houndour, come here."

Houndour was quick to obey and scurried up to sit beside his trainer. Hilbert patted Houndour on the head to get him to lay down.

"I do hope we get a job that we could train them on," said Hilda.

"I know what you mean," said Hilbert. "It'd be nice to have them get some experience in battling other trains instead of just wild pokemon. Especially since I think they're too strong for the woods nearby. Even Dreamyard pokemon seem to be avoiding us now."

"Speaking of jobs," said Hilda when a knock came from the door. Since she was still standing, she was the one who walked over to open the door. Awaiting her on the other side of the door, was Cress, who was pretty much their boss, wearing sunglasses and a hoodie.

"I got a job for you guys, so get in the car," he said.

"Houndour, return," said Hilbert.

"You could say please, yknow," said Hilda. "Otherwise, it seems like a kidnapping."

"Oh, shut up and get in the car."

The two complied and walked with Cress outside. Waiting in the parking lot of the motel was a white limousine. The two have ridden in the limo once before, but it still felt unreal as they climbed inside.

The lavish interior was still a sight to behold to them. The cushioned leather seats felt like clouds for the two who had spent most of the last two days staying in their room lying on the cheap mattress. The lights were almost too bright when compared to their single light bulb hanging from their motel's ceiling.

Cress sat down at the back of the limo while Hilda and Hilbert sat down on the lengthy bench-like seat that ran part of the length of the limo, which was across from a minibar built-in to the limo. Cress helped himself to a drink while Hilda laid down with her head on Hilbert's lap.

"What's the job?" Hilbert asked.

"I need you two to provide me with a bit of back up, be some muscle," Cress said.

"Oh, great choice of muscle," said Hilda as she stretched out her arm. She began to flex it, though nothing changed on her forearm.

"Shut up. I was talking about your pokemon. Just stand behind me while I do the talking, okay?"

"Who are the people you're going to talk to, and why?" said Hilbert.

"Gonna make a trade," said Cress. "We get about a dozen pokemon that we'll give to certain people, and the people selling to us will get money plus some good rep."

"WHAT?!" the twins said together.

"Gah fuck, what?"

"Pokemon trafficking? But that's like, so illegal!" said Hilda as she sat up.

"So? Everything you've been doing for me has been illegal."

"Yeah but, illegal pokemon trading is way different delivering-" Hilbert paused for a moment. "Whatever it was we were delivering."

"Pokemon trafficking could get us fifteen to life!" said Hilda.

"Relax, we'll be fine," Cress said. "The place is secure, trust me. There's no chance of anything going wrong."

"Doesn't mean we want a part of it!"

"As I said, things will be fine. Don't you two trust me by now?"

"No," they said together.

"Well, you should."

"Are you even going to give us a choice?" Hilbert asked.

"Not really."

"Then there's your answer. So, where is this trade taking place?"

"At the gym. That's why I said there's no chance of the police interrupting."

"Hey, Cress?" said Hilda.

"Yeah?"

"How much money does a pokemon go for?"

"Well, that depends on a lot. Like what pokemon it is and what region it's from, along with some other things," said Cress. "For this trade, all the pokemon are from Unova. They also aren't that strong and don't have notable parents. So these pokemon are worth about thirty-six hundred dollars each. So that's-"

"Forty-three thousand dollars for twelve pokemon?!" Hilda said in surprise.

"Uh, yeah. That was fast."

"Yeah, Hilda's always been good with numbers. She's the one keeping track of how much we've been spending."

"Huh," Cress seemed intrigued. "Well, anyway, thats how much money we have riding on this. So, I need you two to help keep things from going south, alright?"

"Yeah, yeah. We will."

The rest of the drive to the gym was silent, aside from Cress muttering into his wrist. He talked too quietly for Hilbert and Hilda to hear his words. When the limo finally stopped, the trio stepped out and walked up the steps to the gym.

"Finally!" exclaimed Cress's brother Chili. "What took you so long? The Krookos are going to be here any minute!"

"Oh, calm down. I had to pick these two up."

"Do we even need them?" said Cilan, Cress's second brother. "We are gym leaders. I'm sure we could handle a few riffraff."

"Shut up. I'm not taking any chances on this."

Before the three brothers could continue their argument, the front doors of the gym opened. In walked six men wearing black suits. They walked with confidence and gave off the vibe of being successful businessmen. They looked around the room as if they were inspecting it. They said nothing until they had marched up to the three gym leaders.

"The restaurant seems to be looking good," said one of the guys. He carried a briefcase and appeared to be the leader.

"Relax, the kids are with us."

"Good. I'm just going to cut to the chase."

The group's demeanor changed. They lost their respectable appearance and began to look as though they had warrants and were outside a police station. Hands in their pockets, they scowled and stood awkwardly. They looked a lot more intimidating than they did a minute ago.

"The twelve pokemon for forty-three grand," said Cress.

"What?!" the man with the briefcase said. "We were told sixty!"

"There's nothing special about those pokemon, they're worth less than four thousand each!" said Chili. "You're trying to high ball us."

"No, we aren't! One of your bosses told us the price changed."

"Tarnal. He's the one who set this up, isn't he?"

"WHAT!?" Cress, Chili, and Cilan shouted at once. "You're lying!"

"No, we aren't!"

"Screw this," said Chili as he threw a Pokeball. "Go, Pansear!"

Cress and Cilan were quick to throw out their pokemon as well, a panpour and pansage, respectively. The three monkey pokemon stood ready for battle as they eyed the men in suits. Without hesitation, four men stepped up and tossed their pokeballs.

Hilbert and Hilda, having seen their city's gym leaders battle on TV before, stood still to witness the fight about to take place. Unfortunately, they had to turn their attention to the last two men, who had now sent out their pokemon on the twins.

"Go, Sandile!"

"Go, Yamask!"

Two pokemon now stood just a few feet from Hilbert and Hilda.

"Fuck..." muttered Hilbert. "Go, Houndour!"

"Aw, son of a bitch...go Venipede!" said Hilda.

When Houndour and Venipede emerged from their balls, they stood as if they were in the motel room. It wasn't until after seeing their trainer's faces, and the two aggressive-looking pokemon, did they realize they were in a battle.

"Yamask, use Night Shade on that venipede!" said one of the men.

The yamask summoned a dark aura around itself and made it disappear quickly after. A second later, Venipede cried out in pain from the sudden cloak of darkness that surrounded her.

"Vennnn!"

"Venipede!" cried Hilda.

"Relax, Hilda," said Hilbert. "Houndour, use Bite on the yamask!"

Houndour charged Yamask. His teeth seemed to glow as he prepared his attack.

"Sandile, Sand Attack!"

The sandile caused sand to rise from between the floorboards of the gym. The sand then flew into Houndour's direction, causing him to bite a table instead of Yamask.

"Damn it..." said Hilbert.

"Sandile, Mud-Slap!"

"Saaand!" the sandile cried. He opened his mouth, and out came a shot of mud that hit Houndour in the side and caused him to let out a quick yelp.

"Venipede, use Screech!" Hilda yelled.

Venipede let out an ear-piercing cry. While the move did nothing to Yamask, it was successful in stopping Sandile from attacking Houndour.

"Houndour, use Bite!"

Houndour blinked away any remaining sand and ran to Yamask at full speed.

"Yamask, Protect!" said Yamask's trainer a little too late.

Before Yamask could bring up a defensive barrier, Houndour leapt forward and had managed to bite it down the middle.

"Yaaa!" the yamask cried before falling to the ground. The super-effective attack was enough to knock it out.

"What?!" Yamask's owner yelled in anger.

"Sandile, use Sand-Attack again!"

Once more, Sandile launched sand into Houndour's eyes.

"Now, use Sand Tomb!"

Sand emerged from around Houndours paws and began to encircle him. The sand then rose in the air as well, trapping Houndour in a cylinder of sand.

"Venipede, use Screech again!"

Again, Venipede let out a loud cry, causing Sandile to cringe. The sand which encompassed Houndour dropped, setting him free.

"Houndour, come here!" said Hilbert.

When his pokemon came up to him, Hilbert crouched down and pulled out a small bottle that contained a purple liquid. He pulled the trigger, spraying the contents onto the scratches Houndour received so far from the battle. Immediately, his skin healed and looked as if it was never damaged. Houndour then hurried back to the fight.

"Sandile, Sand-Attack on the Venipede!"

"Protect, Venipede!"

Venipede's light blue barrier stopped the sand before it could hit her eyes. Seeing an opening, Hilbert ordered Houndour to use Leer. Houndour then stared at Sandile with a glare that could cut glass. Sandile cowered, and Hilda used this time to have Venipede use Rollout. Venipede curled herself into a ball and began rolling towards Sandile, who was still cowering.

Venipede pushed Sandile back, but it was clear that Sandile wasn't injured. Sandile had recovered from the blow. His trainer attempted to issue a new command, but before he could get the words out, Venipede rolled into Sandile again. This time, the attack did more damage to Sandile, and he took a bit longer to stand up.

"Sandile, use Mud-Slap on the ground in front of Venipede!"

Sandile obeyed and shot mud onto the floor. Venipede rolled into the mud and spun out of control into the wall. Due to her earlier injuries, and the damage she took after crashing into the wall, Venipede was knocked out.

"Venipede, return!" said Hilda, defeated. The battle now rested on Hilbert and Houndour's shoulders.

"Damn it..."

"I don't know about you, but my Sandile can keep going!" said the man.

Hilbert looked to the man's pokemon, and sure enough, it seemed to be just fine going a few more turns. Houndour meanwhile, wasn't looking good. Even after being sprayed the potion, it was clear Houndour couldn't take many more hits.

"Shut up!" said Hilbert. "Houndour, use Leer one more time!"

When Houndour started to stare at Sandile, the man ordered his pokemon to use Sand-Attack once more. The sand landed in Houndour's eyes, causing him to stand down to try and shake the sand out.

"Sandile, finish him off with Assurance!" the man yelled.

Hilbert looked on helplessly as the sandile began to run up to Houndour. Sandile jumped, ready to deliver the final blow when Cress's voice interrupted the sound of Sandile's footsteps.

"Panpour, use Scald!"

"Pan!"

Cress' blue monkey-like pokemon had shot out a large gush of steaming water. The water hit Sandile hard enough to send him flying into the wall. When the dust from the broken pieces of the wall cleared, Sandile was lying there, eyes wide, and his body unmoving. The battle between the gym leaders and the gang members was over. The gym leaders had won.

Hilbert and Hilda looked over to where Cress and his brothers had battled. The only pokemon they saw were the ones belonging to the brothers. Pansear and Pansage were staring down the gang members with malice in their eyes.

"Damn it," the man Hilbert had fought said. "Sandile, return!"

"Now," said Cress. "Get out."

"Just you wait, we'll come back."

"We'll roll the red carpet out for you, now leave," Cress's words felt venomous. "And leave the briefcase."

"What?! But we didn't get paid!"

"You lost your right to the money when you lied about how much the pokemon cost," said Chili. "Now get the fuck out before Pansear shows you his Flame Burst attack."

"Fine," said the man. He tossed the briefcase onto a table and turned around. He looked at his men and signaled for them to leave as well. The door slammed shut as the last man left. Hilda shuddered at the noise.

Hilbert walked over to a table and sunk into a chair. Houndour walked over to Hilbert and placed his head into Hilbert's lap. Hilda walked over to join them.

"Cress," said Hilda as she sat down. "Who were those guys?"

"The Krookos gang. They're small-time, but that doesn't mean you should underestimate them, as you two just found out."

Hilbert cursed under his breath. His first battle against other trainers and he couldn't win on his own. If it wasn't for Cress, chances are the man would've had both him and Hilda beaten. Or worse.

"Hou!"

Houndour gave a small bark to get Hilbert's attention. Looking at his pokemon in the eyes, Hilbert gave a weak smile. He saw a look of defeat but placid on Houndour's face. As if Houndour was glad to have battled, even if it did result in a loss. Hilbert gave Houndour one last pat on the head and called him back into his ball. His smile faded.

"So, now what?" said Hilda. "Those guys left without being paid, won't that cause problems?"

"Nah," said Chili. "They wouldn't try to fuck with us again. They're too weak for that."

"Besides, it's all Tarnal's fault," said Cilan. "He should have said something to us about changing the pay before they arrived."

"You think they were telling the truth?" said Cress. "About Tarnal changing the pay?"

"There's no way. They probably just tried to say that to get us to pay more. I doubt the Pokemon would be anything worth more than forty-five grand."

"Who's Tarnal?" asked Hilbert.

"Oh right, I haven't told you yet," said Cress. "Tarnal is more like a code name for one of our bosses. He's the leader of Plasma."

"What's his actual name?"

"Not telling."

"Fine. So what pokemon did you get from that?" said Hilda as she eyed the briefcase.

"We don't know what exact pokemon we got," said Cress as he walked over to the briefcase. "Just that they were pretty basic pokemon."

Cress opened the case. Hilbert noticed how similar it was to the one that belonged to the man he met outside the fast-food joint. He saw that inside the briefcase were round slots cut into foam padding, which lined the case. Each slot had a Pokeball occupying it. Cress grabbed two of the balls and turned to Hilda and Hilbert.

"Here," said Cress. He tossed both balls to the twins. Hilbert caught the one thrown at him, but Hilda fumbled hers, before dropping it onto the floor.

"Aw man," she said as she bent down to pick the ball up.

"You sure, Cress?" said Hilbert.

"Yeah. Consider it payment for helping out today."

Hilbert looked down at the new ball in his hand. Curiosity filled his mind. He looked at Hilda, who was dusting her ball off. Hilbert looked back to the Pokeball, occupying his hand and tossed it into the air. Out came the red light which shot to the ground and formed an outline. The said outline then turned white before revealing what pokemon was inside.

"Piiiid!"

"A pidove?" said Hilbert. It was clear by his voice that he was quite surprised having such a common pokemon emerge from the Pokeball.

"Piiid!" the pidove cried as it flew in front of Hilbert's face. It fluttered in front of Hilbert, an angry expression written on its face.

"Oh, um, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you," said Hilbert.

The pidove accepted his response. It chirped happily before flying up and nestling on Hilbert's hat.

"I'm surprised that a pidove is one of the pokemon we got from this deal," said Cilan.

"Yeah, I know," said Cress as he reached back into his pocket. When he pulled his hand out, he was holding a Pokedex, like Hilbert's. He opened it up and pointed it at the pidove on Hilbert's head.

_"Pidove: The tiny pigeon pokemon. Each follows its trainer's orders as best it can, but they sometimes fail to understand complicated commands. This pidove is male and currently level twenty."_

"Well, that's the level it's supposed to be...so why..."

Cress fiddled around with his Pokedex. After a few seconds, his expression turned from confusion to one of shock.

"What is it, Cress?" said Hilda.

"That pidove," said Cress. "Has the ability Rivalry."

"What?!" said Cilan and Chili. "God damn it, that means it's worth at least five thousand!"

"Hilda, take your pokemon out," said Cress.

Hilda did what he said, throwing her Pokeball into the air and waited for the red light to come out and turn into a pokemon.

"Cub!" cried a small, white, bear-like pokemon that had a thing of frozen snot coming out of its nose.

"Oh my god, so cute!" said Hilda.

Cress turned the Pokedex onto the new pokemon.

_"Cubchoo: The chill pokemon. Its nose is always running. It sniffs the snot back up because the mucous provides the raw material for its moves. This cubchoo is male and currently level twenty."_

"Son of a bitch," said Cress. "It has the ability Rattled."

"FUCK!" yelled Chili. "They have hidden abilities."

"No wonder they said the price changed," said Cilan. "They probably were telling the truth then, about Tarnal."

"What are hidden abilities?" asked Hilda.

"They're rare abilities that pokemon can have," said Cress. "The only known way to smoothly obtain a pokemon with a hidden ability is through selective breeding. But even then, it's not a sure-fire way."

"And," said Cilan. "A pokemon with a hidden ability is worth a lot more than one with a normal ability."

"Which would explain why Lacnova was saying the price changed," said Cress with bitterness in his voice.

"Lacnova?" said Hilda.

"He was the guy with the briefcase."

"Someone let Tarnal know what happened," said Cilan.

"I'm not doing that," said Chili.

"Fine, I'll do it!" said Cress.

Cress rolled up the sleeve of his hoodie to reveal he was wearing a watch-like device on his wrist.

"What's that, Cress?"

"Do you ever stop asking questions?"

Hilda turned her head away from Cress and puffed her cheeks in a pout.

"It's an xtransceiver," explained Cress. "It can do a few things, but the most important is the fact I can call anyone at any time."

"Couldn't you, you know, use a phone?" said Hilda as she turned back.

"It's harder to hide a phone. On the drive here, you didn't realize I was talking into it, did you?"

"Oh, hey, that's right," said Hilda. "I just thought you were muttering into your wrist for some reason."

"Though normally, I wouldn't be that obvious."

Cress began pressing buttons on his xtransceiver. With each press came a small beep. After a few seconds, a voice came from the device.

"What is it?" said the voice.

"Are you still in Striaton?"

"Yes, I am. Why? Did something happen?"

"Yeah, and it'd be best if you could come to the gym."

"Alright," the voice sounded slightly agitated. "I'll be there in ten minutes. Just have to deal with something first."

A new beep signified the person on the other end had hung up. Cress let out a sigh and turned to the twins.

"You two should leave."

"What, why?"

"You have done some jobs for us and the gangs we keep organized," said Cilan. "But that doesn't mean you have a trusting name."

"And this guy keeps himself hidden," said Chili. "So it might be bad if two random kids, who are free to do what they want, learn of his identity."

"When you say that, it makes me want to know who it is even more now!"

"Let's just leave, Hilda," said Hilbert.

"What?" Hilda was surprised by Hilbert suddenly speaking after a long period of silence. "Aren't you curious too?"

"Not really."

"But!" Hilda moved her lips for a few seconds, trying to get a word out, but gave up and let out a sigh. "Fine, let's go."

"I'll go tell the limo driver where to take you," said Cress as he followed the two outside.

The two rode in silence pack the motel parking lot. As they got out, Hilda thanked the driver, but Hilbert walked straight to their room. Putting the key in the lock and opening the door, Hilbert stepped into the unlit room and made his way to the mirror.

"Hilbert?" said Hilda as she turned the light on and closed the door. "Are you okay? You haven't said anything since the gym."

Hilbert didn't say anything. He leaned forward and gripped the countertop tightly while looking at his reflection. Hilda could see how tense Hilbert looked from behind and noticed his breathing changed to one that made him look angry, with his shoulders rising and falling quickly with each breath. Hilda was about to approach Hilbert when he started to take his jacket off and tossed it into the wall.

He then pounded his fist onto the counter until the side of his hand was pink. When he finally did stop, he took his other hand, balled it into a fist, and punched the mirror with all his strength. Concentric circles formed where his fist had impacted the mirror. Droplets of blood strained the broken glass and dripped from his knuckles as he pulled away. Still shaking with rage, Hilbert stepped back into the wall and slumped down to the floor, covering his head with his arms.

"Hilbert!" cried Hilda when she saw the blood. She raced to grab a washcloth, wet it, and then crouched down to address her brother's hand.

"I'm sorry..." said Hilbert, though it was a little muffled since he was facing the ground and had his head between his knees.

"It...it's fine...just please don't punch a mirror again," said Hilda trying to keep a steady voice.

"Not this," said Hilbert. "I'm sorry about what happened at the gym."

"The gym? What are you talking about?"

Hilbert lifted his head and looked at his sister's face. "I'm sorry for losing..."

"Wh...what do you mean  _for losing_?"

"If Cress or his brothers weren't there," said Hilbert. "If we had been alone and Houndour had been knocked out...then I wouldn't have been able to stop those guys from doing whatever they wanted to us."

Hilda didn't say anything. She just stared back at her brother.

"If I had trained Houndour better...if I was a better trainer..."

Hilbert brought his arms back over his head as he hid his face again. Hilda looked at him with fear in her eyes. She had never seen her brother look so low before. Even when he was getting yelled at by their parents, he was never one to get sad.

"Never again..." said Hilbert. "...never..."

"Never what?" said Hilda with desperation in her voice. She was becoming more and more worried about Hilbert with each passing second.

"I promise..." Hilbert said as he took his pokemon's pokeballs out of his pocket.

Setting them down, he pulled the cloth around his hand off, showing the cuts he received from the mirror's glass. Taking the index finger of his uncut hand, Hilbert scooped up some of his blood. He then picked up one of the balls and wrote something on the white underside of the ball, away from Hilda so she couldn't see. He did the same with the other Pokeball.

"Hilbert?"

"Hilda..."

Hilbert pointed the bottoms of both balls towards Hilda, who could now see what he wrote. On Houndour's ball, Hilbert had written the letter  _I_. On the ball of his newly acquired pokemon, Pidove, he had written the letter  _W_.

"...I promise..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter five done! And only like 2 months late. But in all honesty, I feel this is my best chapter so far. I've legit rewritten it multiple times, each time it started as something way different. But anyway, if you like the chapter n story, leave a kudos and bookmark if you want. Just sayin...
> 
> Anyway, peace.
> 
> ~~~Sikahdik.


	6. One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes a step forward isn't as good as it seems.

Hilda sat on the bed, her legs to her chest and her arms holding herself, watching Hilbert at the bathroom sink. For the last two days, Hilda could only think of what had happened after the two came back from the gym. She thought everything had been fine, but then Hilbert broke the mirror with his fist. She couldn't help but worry, seeing her brother do something so crazy.

Hilbert looked into a non-cracked section of the mirror, after he finished replacing the bandage on his hand. He saw his sister looking at him, a disturbed expression on her face. Sighing, he turned to face her.

"My hand's alright, okay?" said Hilbert as he flexed his fingers. "No need to be so scared about it."

"I know..." said Hilda. "But...I would prefer you to not do something like that."

"It was the heat of the moment, I wasn't thinking."

"Do you ever think?"

"Obviously, otherwise I wouldn't be able to have a conversation with you."

"Kinda wish you never think then."

"Aw shut up," said Hilbert with a fake rude tone, making Hilda giggle to herself. Hilbert smiled as well, seeing his sister not be so down always cheered him up. Trying to keep her from going back to discussing the other night, Hilbert changed the subject.

"You think Cress is gonna have something for us today?"

"Probably not, given what happened the other day. If he does, we'll likely just have to make another delivery."

"I'm getting tired of those. Most of the time, the person we have to meet up with just complains about us."

"They're always so ungrateful. Oh, hey, did we get paid for our last job?"

Hilbert thought for a moment. "I think...did we?"

"I thought we did. But, other than getting Cubchoo and Pidove, I don't think we got anything else."

"Goddamn it."

The twins sat on the bed while thinking about how they forgot to ask for payment and watched TV in silence. After some time, the two talked about what they wanted to do for today. Hilbert wanted to go out to train their pokemon. Hilda wanted to spend a day relaxing and not worry about anything. The two went on discussing their plans, when a knock came from the door.

However, it wasn't the regular rhythmic knocking from Cress that they were accustomed too. Whoever was knocking, it wasn't Cress, and they were banging the door with such force that it seemed as though the door was about to come flying off its hinges. After a few knocks, the banging stopped. By now, Hilbert had jumped from the bed and was gripping a pokeball tightly, while Hilda was still staring at the door with wide eyes.

Sending Houndour out behind him, Hilbert approached the door. Once he was close enough to reach out to the doorknob, he could hear a voice on the other side.

"They're taking forever. Sawk, use Brick Break on the door."

"Saw!"

Before Hilbert could process the words he just heard, the solid door in front of him was suddenly smashed to pieces. Chunks of wood flew past Hilbert. Though an extraordinarily sharp piece stuck itself into his exposed forearm, causing him to scream out in pain.

"Hilbert!" Hilda cried from the other side of the bed (She had rolled off the side when the door had smashed).

In the now door-less doorway, stood a blue skinned pokemon, which looked as though it was wearing a karate gi. Behind it, was a man wearing a pair of slack blue pants and a puffy green vest with a brown belt tied around his waist.

The man stepped inside the motel room. He was at least half a foot taller than Hilbert.

"Who...the fuck...are you?" Hilbert asked with pain in his voice.

"You two stole from Ral. I'm here to get the stuff back," the man said in a booming voice.

_'Ral?'_  thought Hilda.  _'This guy is dressed like Marshal. If you take out the M, A, S, and H in Marshal, then you're left with Ral. No way. The guy Hilbert stole from, the guy he got killed, could he have worked for Marshal?!'_

"We...didn't steal...anything," said Hilbert gripping his injured arm tight.

_'Hilbert! Shut up!'_ Hilda thought.

"Sawk, use Superpower on the boy."

The sawk, obeying its trainer, began to ready up an attack. After a second, the sawk rushed forward and stopped in front of Hilbert. The moment it stopped, it swung its arm, attempting to hit Hilbert with the side of its fist. Before the attack could land however, Houndour had jumped forward and taken the hit. Houndour was sent flying into the TV, breaking the screen and knocking causing it to fall beside Houndour on the floor.

The cry Houndour let out was enough to let everyone in the room know he wasn't going to get up. Hilbert looked from Houndour, to Sawk, to the man.

"I'll give you one more chance. Now, where's the twenty thousand?"

"I-is, that all y-you're here f-for?" Hilda stammered.

"Where is it?"

"H-hold on, the m-money i-is r-right here," said Hilda. She jumped up and went to the bedside nightstand.

Hastily pulling open the drawer, Hilda grabbed all that was in there, and ran back to the man. After emptying the contents of her arms into the man's hand, she stepped back, staring at the man nervously. She could feel a sweat drop drip down the back of her neck.

The man felt the weight of the money in his hand, let out a  _hmpf_ , then stuffed them in his large pockets. He brought out a pokeball and returned the sawk. Turning to the open doorway, he took his leave, but not before stopping and turning to Hilbert.

"You're lucky I was only sent for the money," said the man. He then aimed his eyes at Houndour for a moment, then left.

Hilda and Hilbert didn't move until they were sure the man was gone. When they were finally able to control themselves, Hilda ran to Houndour while Hilbert ran to the bathroom.

Crouched over Houndour, Hilda ran her hand over his side, letting out a sigh of relief when she felt him breathing. He was only knocked out. When she let go of Houndour, a red light engulfed him and made him disappear. Looking to her brother, who had Houndour's pokeball in one hand and a bandage draped over his other arm, she hurried to him and began to shakily wrap the bandage around Hilbert's forearm.

"Fuck..." said Hilbert. "Fuck fuck fuck, fuck!"

"What are we gonna do?!" said Hilda when she finished wrapping the bandage. It was clear they would need to redo it later.

"I don't know!"

"We're so screwed!"

"Fuck...we need to go to the gym."

"What? But, we've only ever gone there when Cress brought us."

"We have to! He's the only one we can trust."

"...You're right. We need to go, now."

Without wasting any more time, the two ran out of the motel room, then out the parking lot, and then started running away from the motel. When they felt their legs were burning too much to run, they stopped for a second before hailing down a taxi.

As they climbed in the back, the driver looked at them in the rear view mirror.

"So, uh, where to?"

"Take us to the gym," said Hilda, her voice still unsteady.

"Are you sure?" the driver eyed Hilbert's bandages. "You look like you need the hospital, kid."

"Please, just take us to the gym!"

The man hesitated. "Alright, I will."

The drive to the gym was a silent one. When the cab parked in front of the building that served both as an official gym and restaurant, the driver tried to tell the two their fare, however, Hilbert was already out and running up the steps. Hilda handed the driver a single hundred dollar bill, which she knew was way more than she needed to, but she was in a rush. Without saying anything else, Hilda got out, nearly slammed the door, and went to catch up to her brother.

Pushing open the front doors, Hilbert and Hilda stopped dead in their tracks when they saw most of the tables were filled with people eating lunch. The restaurant went quiet, for the patrons took notice of the two teenagers in dirty street clothes, one of which had a bloody bandage badly wrapped around his arm.

Ignoring the strangers' stares, Hilbert approached the hostess.

"Where's Cress?"

"Um, he's with a trainer in the gym area."

"Where's Cilan, or Chili?"

"I think they're both in the kitchen-hey! You can't go back there!" the hostess cried out to Hilbert and Hilda who ran past her. The two ducked under a waiter's tray and entered the kitchen. Immediately, the two saw Chili and Cilan's hair in the back and ran to them.

"What are you two doing here?!" said Chili through gritted teeth. "We told you to only come when Cress gets you!"

"It's important," said Hilda despairingly. "Please, can you get Cress?"

"He's with a trainer right now," said Cilan as he changed his gaze from being aimed at the twins to behind them. "What are you guys looking at?"

The cooks and wait-staff, who were eyeing Hilda and Hilbert ever since they ran in to the kitchen, looked away when Cilan called them out. Cilan let out an annoyed sigh.

"Follow me," he ordered the twins. They did as he said and were led to a backroom. Upon entering the room, they saw it was a small office, with a couple filing cabinets, a desk with a computer resting on it, and a few leather chairs.

"I'll let Cress know you're here when he's done," said Cilan. "So, just wait here."

No clock hung anywhere in the room, so Hilda and Hilbert had no idea how long it was until they heard the doorknob rattle. Cress was the one who opened the door, with a kid behind him who wore a proud, almost smug smile. For a second, the kid and Hilbert locked eyes before Hilbert looked to Cress.

"Why are you two here?"

"Cress, we need your help," Hilda spoke with desperation in her voice.

"With what?"

"The, um, reason can wait," said Hilbert as he looked at the kid.

"Hm?" Cress looked in the direction of Hilbert's stare. "Oh, right. Hold on, Cheren."

_'So his name is Cheren,'_  thought Hilbert.

Cress walked over to the desk and rummaged through a drawer. He then pulled out a small black case that had a square shaped pokeball with the words  _Pokemon League_ on it. Cress then went up to the kid and handed him the box.

"I'm assuming you didn't already have a badge case," said Cress. "And the Trio Badge is already in there."

"Thank you. I look forward to filling it with the other badges," said Cheren.

Both Hilda and Hilbert said nothing, but Hilbert spoke with his eyes. He stared at Cheren with disdain. Something about this random guy just ticked him off. The way he smiled, the way he talked, even the way he walked into the room.

"Sorry for cutting this short, Cheren. But, you should go talk to my brothers. I have to help these two with something."

"Alright. It was a pleasure battling you and getting my first badge," with that, Cheren left the room.

"What did you two need me for?" asked Cress.

"We need a new place to stay," Hilda said, still no sign of her normally goofy attitude.

"Why? What's wrong with the motel?"

"We got robbed!"

"What? By who?!"

"We don't know, but it was some guy who was dressed kinda like Marshal, the Elite Four member. He said he was ordered by some guy named  _Ral_ to take our money. Do you think by  _Ral_ he was talking about Marshal?"

"I don't think so. From what I know, Marshal is clean, now. When he was younger he was involved with Pinwheels. I'm guessing the guy who robbed you worked for them. They tend to wear stuff like Marshal."

"Pinwheels?"

"They're a gang out of Nacrene City, though they tend to hang out mostly in Pinwheel Forest, hence the name," Cress explained. "They all dress in those vests and loose pants. Marshal has gone on record denouncing his affiliation with them and that he wears the outfit as a reminder of his past. Says it helps him to remain disciplined or something."

"Do you know who the leader is?"

"No, I don't. How much did the guy take?"

"Almost everything we had. The only money we have left is what's in our pockets."

"I doubt they'll go back. Though they might if you piss them off again."

"That's why we need your help."

"Did the guy say anything specific about why he was there?"

"No," Hilbert said quickly.

"Can you please help us?" begged Hilda.

"Just use whatever money you have to get a hotel or something, then wait until I get a job for you."

"But between the two of us, we don't even have five hundred bucks."

"Then I guess you're gonna have to stay somewhere shitty tonight."

"Can't you help us?"

"I don't know what you want me to do. Plus, I'm kind of busy here."

Without warning, Hilda went forward and grabbed Cress's waistcoat with both hands. Cress looked down at Hilda, surprised by her actions. Hilda looked down and took a breath. Looking up to Cress, she showed her eyes were filled with tears.

"Please," she implored. "You're the only one who can help us."

Cress looked into her eyes. The tears looked genuine, nothing like her artificial tears she used to get something she wanted. He would be able to tell if she was lying. After all, he was the one who told her how to fake cry.

Hilda blinked through her tears, and could see something in Cress' ice cold eyes. Where was normally a chilling pit of apathy for anyone and anything who wasn't his brothers, was something else. Something more, human. It wasn't quite compassion, but to Hilda, it looked as though Cress was feeling a sense of condolence towards her and Hilbert. When Hilda thought that she was about to see Cress' face clearly, his eyes went back to being frozen.

"Alright alright," he said as he patted her hands away. "I'll set you guys up at the hotel near here. Lucky for you, I hated having to go all the way over to that cheap ass motel."

Cress left the room, Hilda wiped her eyes, and Hilbert finally said something again.

"Are you okay?"

"Well, it's just," Hilda thought about her next words carefully. "I was worried he wasn't gonna help us."

"Yeah, that would've sucked," Hilbert took his hat off and ran his fingers through his hair.

"Something wrong with you?"

"Nothing. I'm just, annoyed I guess."

"Why?"

"Something about that kid who was here, the one who beat Cress and got his badge, pisses me off."

"How?"

"I don't know," Hilbert said as he put his hat back on. "I just never want to see him again."

"You two are taking forever," the twins looked to the doorway to see Cress standing there, in an annoyed stance. "You want my help or not?"

The hotel Cress had mentioned was much closer than the motel. So close in fact, that the three didn't even take the limo to get there. They only had to walk a little over a block before they made it. Standing in front of the building, staring at the rows of windows, the twins were entranced. Despite the size of the building, it looked as if it was cleaned just before they arrived, each window was clear and sparkling and the bricks looked brand new. Just above the front doors was a black sign reading the hotel's name in gold lettering.

_The Milotic Hotel_

On either side of the sign, were outlines of some pokemon both Hilbert and Hilda didn't know. One had a blue outline around it while the other had a color that matched the signs letters.

"Can you two hurry up?" said Cress holding open one of front doors.

Stepping through the doorway after Cress, who was wearing a hoodie and sunglasses, the twins were just as fascinated by the interior as they were with the outside. Everything looked as though it was bought yesterday. The twins thought they couldn't find any imperfections with the hotel if they tried. Everything seemed flawless.

The chairs in the lobby were arranged in orderly circles, with round coffee tables between them. A few chairs were occupied by men and women who wore expensive looking clothing. Most of which wore suits and looked as if they had hotshot jobs at large companies.

The floor's tiles seemed to shine, illuminated by the large chandelier hanging from the ceiling. Hilda looked down and was able to see her face.

Hilbert and Hilda were so distracted by everything else in the lobby that when they made it up to the counter, they didn't notice what was definitely the hotel's main attraction. Just behind the clerk's desk, where there should be a normal wall, was a window of glass. From what the twins could tell, the other side of the glass seemed to be just water.

As Cress talked to the man behind the counter, Hilbert and Hilda continued watching the tank, despite the water being at a standstill. Just as the two thought that the hotel might've just had an empty tank on display, they noticed something coming from the side. Shocking them, a serpentine pokemon came into full display of the glass. It stayed in view, swimming in a spiral so its long, cream colored body will fit into frame.

Hilda and Hilbert had never seen something that held their attention for so long. It was as if the pokemon's beauty took a hold of them and forced them to pay attention. Not that they would complain. Everything about the pokemon radiated elegance. From its long and curled red eyebrows which complimented its eyes well, to its fan-like tail that donned various shades of magenta and blue. After a few moments of showing off, the pokemon swam away.

Looking back to Cress, they saw he was now done talking with the clerk and started walking towards an elevator, the two quickly followed. Stepping into the elevator, Cress pressed a button, and they began to go up. Cress didn't say anything while in the elevator. He didn't say anything as they walked down the hall. It took until they stopped in front of a door for Cress to break the silence.

"This is your room, and it will be your room, for the next six nights. After that, you'll have to pay for it again, and it was four hundred and twenty dollars, per night. So, I'll try to get you a job soon to pay for it."

Hilda and Hilbert let Cress go in the room first, then followed him. Once more, the two were speechless. The room was huge. The walls looked as if they were made of marble, white with blue-ish grey lines running through them. The floor's carpeting felt soft and lush beneath them. The first thing not built in to the room Hilbert and Hilda saw was the large TV on the wall. It looked almost as long as they were tall. Despite it's size, it looked paper thin, aside from a small section on the back side of the bottom, but even that was still a fraction of the size their motel's box TV was.

Directly beneath the TV was a large dresser. It was so big that Hilbert and Hilda felt it would've been able to hold a whole family's wardrobe, not just the two outfits the twins had. Across from the TV was a nightstand which separated the room's two queen beds. Each bed was equipped with a thick comforter to keep whoever rested in them nice and warm, two fluffy pillows with a third smaller pillow in front of them, and a smaller blanket folded at the end of the bed, in case the occupant needed another layer to be comfortable. In a corner of the room, was a desk and office chair. Above which had an open wall safe, with a painting hanging next to it, to cover it to up when closed.

There were also two doors, one of which the twins presumed to be a bathroom, the other led somewhere unknown. Hilbert and Hilda looked to the beds, walking to one each, and pressed a hand into the mattresses. Their hands left impressions before rising. It was the kind of mattress they had seen hundreds of times in commercials. The kind of mattress they never thought they would ever feel or see in person. It was more comfortable than anything they ever felt. To Hilbert, it was like pushing his hand into a cloud.

Still silent, Hilda sat onto her new bed, sinking into it with a sigh. Hilbert did the same and stared to the carpet. Cress scratched the back of his head before speaking.

"Well, that's that, I guess," he said. "I'm going back to the gym. I'll let you guys do what you want for the next day or two, after that I'm putting you back to work."

Once Cress closed the room's door, there was almost no sound at all. Only thing that could be heard were Hilda and Hilbert's light breathing. Hilda continued to look around the room, as if she was trying to familiarize herself with everything. But Hilbert knew something else was on her mind, her tightly sealed lips were evident of that. Hilbert wanted to say something, anything, to break the silence. To make his sister feel better.

"So..." said Hilbert.

He wanted to say more, but nothing else came out. Instead they sat there, muffled by the reticence of the room. Letting out a sigh, Hilda pulled her knees to her chest and buried her face in her arms. Hilbert looked down at his arm, the bandage was almost falling off, and blood was dripping onto the sheets. Getting up, he trudged towards one of the doors. The room he expected to hold the bathroom was the right one.

Despite everything else he's seen at the hotel, Hilbert was still impressed by the bathroom. Though this time, instead of trying to take in every detail and aspect of the of it, Hilbert just went to the sink. Taking out the roll of gauze, Hilbert set it on the marble counter top and began unwrapping the bandage on his arm. He wasn't bleeding much, just a bit of blood dripping out and rolling down his arm and the cut wasn't more than an inch and half.

Hilbert used the sink to clean the dried blood off, then began unrolling the clean bandages. Gripping the hand attached to his cut arm as tight as he could, he began trying to wrap the bandage around his forearm, swearing under his breath when the wrap fell. After the bandage fell a couple more times, Hilbert was ready to punch the mirror in front of him.

He probably would've too, if it wasn't for the two soft hands that took the bandage from him. Without moving his head, he turned his eyes up the arms and met his sister's stare. Without saying anything, Hilda began wrapping the bandage around her brother's arm, much tighter than how Hilbert was doing it.

"I really wish you would stop getting hurt..." Hilda said as she finished.

Hilbert smiled to himself. Just having Hilda talking again was enough to make him feel better.

"It's fine," Hilbert said, still smiling.

"How is you getting hurt fine?"

"I have you, don't I?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter six done! Don't really have anything to say, so peace!
> 
> ~~~Sikahdik


End file.
